David Onama explains why he “celebrated like Izzy” after knocking out Gabriel Santos at UFC Jacksonville

UFC fighter David Onama has explained why he celebrated like Israel Adesanya following his knockout win in Jacksonville over the weekend.

On Saturday night, David Onama set out to make a statement down in Florida. He went head to head with Gabriel Santos, knowing he needed to get back on track following a loss to Nate Landwehr last summer. In addition, he also had to move gyms as a result of the investigation into James Krause’s controversies.

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In the end, he did exactly what he planned on doing – he knocked out Santos in vicious fashion. After the win, he immediately honored Israel Adesanya by using the same celebration that ‘Stylebender’ did when he knocked out Alex Pereira.

During a post-fight media scrum, Onama opened up on the move and his admiration for Adesanya.

“That’s my guy, Izzy,” Onama said. “Izzy fought a Brazilian and I was like, ‘I’m going to do what Izzy did. I’m going to knock this kid out then I’m going to celebrate like Izzy.’ And it showed, so.”

Onama praises Adesanya

In terms of what’s next, the featherweight prospect is excited to get back to work.

“I’m going to go back to the gym on Monday and just keep sharpening my tools and get better,” Onama said. “I’m not rushing anything at all. My time is going to come, and I’m going to keep getting better when that time comes.”

Quotes via MMA Junkie

There are few fighters more iconic than Israel Adesanya right now. As such, it’s not hard to see why David Onama would want to pay tribute to him like this.

Were you a fan of David Onama’s celebration over the weekend? Let us know your thoughts, BJPENN Nation!