A few days Ago, undefeated UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya got promoted to purple belt, from his coach Andre Galvao. Israel was training at the Atos HQ in San Diego, California.
This news attracted a great deal of attention on social media. In the meantime, those who have a different opinion about this promotion have also appeared. In the last episode of Beyond the Fight, BJJ Black Belt and former UFC Middleweight, Chael Sonnen talked about Adesanya’s promotion.
Chael Sonnen believes that there are some very strange parts to this story. “How a guy has a 12-pound gold belt but has a purple belt is bizarre, and whatever coach gave this to him was more trying to speak to his own high standard of learning…” With these words, Sonnen begins.
He claims that whatever coach gave Adesanya his purple belt is not trying to serve and praise Adesanya, they try to self-serve themselves to show how high the standard is. Also with this promotion, Galvao is trying to pat himself on that. He’s trying to shine his “own wheels”, not his athletes, considered Sonnen.
But there is one statement we cannot agree with, and that’s the statement that Galvao “doesn’t have any Abu Dhabi champions”. As we know, one of the best of Galvao’s students Kaynan Duarte won the gold medal at the ADCC World Championship 2019, in the +99kg division.
What is the reason for this speech by Chel Sonnen? What do you think about this promotion? Whether this is a well-deserved belt or “marketing” for the coach and his team, as Sonnen believes…
Watch the full episode in the video below :
