Israel Adesanya reveals how elaborate ‘Undertaker’ walkout happened at UFC 276 with Vince McMahon in attendance

Israel Adesanya had no idea WWE executives Vince McMahon, Stephanie McMahon and Triple H (real name Paul Levesque) would be in attendance at UFC 276 when he decided to mimic one of the most famous entrances in professional wrestling history for his walkout.

When the lights dropped, a loud gong echoed inside the T-Mobile Arena and the music that followed was the theme song for WWE Hall of Famer The Undertaker, with Adesanya following his exact routine, including a dark black hat covering his eyes and even an urn with opponent Jared Cannonier’s name inscribed on the front.

According to Adesanya the inspiration for the style of pro-wrestling walkout was born during his training camp. He used theme songs from WWE to push him through practice.

“It just works, the theme for me. I’m an artist. It just works,” Adesanya said at the UFC 276 post-fight press conference. “Wednesday night is when we wrestle. Towards the end of the rounds, 12 rounds, towards the end, the last three or four rounds, I’ll chock on my playlist from YouTube, WWE Attitude from the Attitude Era. I have like 20 different tracks from superstars I admire and that would get me in that zone, and the Undertaker’s theme was one of them.

“I was feeling it as I sat down on Tuesday. It just seemed natural. A big shout out to the UFC Production team for being so accommodating and helping to make this a reality. The UFC. You want to give them a show. This feels like Wrestlemania. Wrestlemania is undefeated. The Undertaker, and I’ve been feeling dark all week.”

Adesanya said he worked hand-in-hand with the UFC’s live production team to help him enhance the walkout, which included smoke filling the arena and the signature purple spotlights that always decorated The Undertaker whenever he made his way to the ring in WWE.

Nothing was by accident. Adesanya went as far as to attend the production meeting at the arena so that he could view the entrance as he left.

“I was very hands on,” Adesanya said. When I visited the arena, I felt as if I were a producer. I was talking [to a producer] and just walked through and I happened to look at the screen, seen what it looked like on TV, seeing what it looked like in the arena and they were so accommodating, which I appreciate that. I like to put on a show and I like to entertain, and I did just that.”

Before Adesanya set foot in the Octagon, the WWE held their “Money in the Bank”, pay-per view just down the road at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

Following the conclusion of the event, McMahon and his family — along with popular personality and WWE commentator Pat McAfee — made their way into T-Mobile Arena to catch the final fights at UFC 276.

Adesanya didn’t learn that the team from WWE would be witness to his fight until Saturday morning, but it worked out perfectly that he chose The Undertaker’s theme with McMahon and company in attendance.

” It wasn’t something I had in mind,” Adesanya stated. Adesanya said that the universe provides everything and they have a strange synergy. It’s an odd crossover. But it is something I enjoy because it’s ***..

“I hoped they enjoyed the show. I had an off night but still 5-0. It’s crazy, isn’t it?”