He came in a huge underdog at UFC 293 and was able to successfully implement his style in order to cause all kinds of problems for “The Last Stylebender”.
Whilst his first title defense was still a closely contended fight, Dricus Du Plessis didn’t have many of the same problems when facing Strickland at UFC 297.
The challenger still struggled to land anything clean on the champion and of course, styles make fights so he was able to threaten with his grappling more.
There may be lessons that can be learned from these two fights about Strickland’s trajectory which could end up being crucial in his return this weekend.
‘Big’ John McCarthy Says Sean Strickland Needs To Find His Groove Against Paulo Costa
At UFC 302, Strickland will face Paulo Costa in the co-main event over five rounds in Newark, New Jersey
The former champion certainly has some attributes that he may be able to use effectively in this fight but there was also one concern that has been highlighted.
On the latest episode of the Weighing In podcast, “Big” John McCarthy spoke about how the pressure on Strickland changed massively between UFC 293 and 297.
Forcing a dangerous striker like Costa to back up versus letting him dictate the range and pace could be absolutely vital for Strickland as he attempts to bounce back.
“The real question is, and you bring up the Izzy fight, I thought Sean went into that fight similar to what I was talking with Dustin, he had no pressure on him. No one expected him to win, there’s no pressure, just go be you and he did. You go and look at the DDP fight, he had a ton of pressure on him and it changed him. He was a lot tighter during the fight, you could see where he was pressing at time. He just was not in that flow like he was against Izzy, he needs to get back to that.”
Strickland is in pursuit of a second reign atop the 185-pound mountain following a brief stint there courtesy of his efforts Down Under last year. Off the back of consecutive wins over Nassourdine Imavov and Abus Magomedov, “Tarzan” capitalized on a short-notice chance to challenge Adesanya at UFC 293.
Having had his calls for an immediate rematch dismissed, Strickland must return to winning ways at the expense of “Borrachinha” if he’s to earn an opportunity to achieve two-time champ status.
UFC Middleweight Champion Israel Adesanya and middleweight contender Darren Till appear to not be as cordial as once previously thought.
Till was in attendance to corner his friend, heavyweight contender Tom Aspinall, in the main event of UFC London. Following Aspinall’s first-round submission of Alexander Volkov, Till jumped on top of the cage with Aspinall to bask in the energy of the raucous London crowd.
After watching the fight and the celebration, Adesanya wasn’t happy watching Till join in the post-fight pleasantries. He blasted Till during a UFC London live reaction posted to his YouTube channel.
“Oh, sit down, Darren. It’s not your moment. Sit the f* down, it’s not your moment. Get the f* off.” (h/t MMA Fighting)
Adesanya is fresh off his latest title defense against Robert Whittaker at UFC 271 and is expected to face Jared Cannonier next. However, he’s mentioned a potential matchup with Till happening if Till can get on another win streak.
Darren Till Responds To Israel Adesanya
After watching Adesanya’s reaction to Till jumping on top of the cage at UFC London, Till responded in a post on his Instagram story.
“Adesanya you idiot, Tom Aspinall asked me to get on the cage with him,” Till replied. “Keep looking down on me for my losses, brother, it’s all good. I’ll be here one day, you watch…
“You haven’t looked the best either in your last few fights. Stay off the cocaine, it’s not healthy for fighters…”
Till is planning on a return to the Octagon later in 2022, in a potential fight with Uriah Hall. He has predicted an “epic fight” between him and Adesanya being inevitable.
Adesanya has emerged as one of the UFC’s top stars after earning the belt over Whittaker in their first matchup at UFC 243. He has gone on to earn wins over Paulo Costa, Marvin Vettori, and Robert Whittaker in defending his title.
Meanwhile, Till has lost back-to-back fights to Whittaker and Derek Brunson since moving to middleweight. If he hopes to settle his beef with Adesanya in the Octagon, he’ll need to get back in the win column for his 2022 debut.
Do you think we’ll see Israel Adesanya vs. Darren Till in 2022?
UFC President Dana White is still wondering why Jake Paul is only challenging smaller fighters.
Dana White’s vow to never speak about Jake Paul ever again lasted all of two months. But even that time span is perhaps longer than what most would have anticipated. In 2021, hardly a week went by without some jab thrown by Paul toward White or vice versa.
According to White, however, that all ended after he felt Paul dodged his challenge of getting randomly steroid tested for two years with White agreeing to get cocaine tested for 10 years in return.
During White’s period of silence, Paul has continued to chirp away, including on a Dana White Diss Track and with continuous challenges to fighters on the UFC roster. Only now, Paul claims he isn’t just open to boxing them, but he has begun to lay down challenges for MMA fights.
The two specific names that Paul has challenged for a fight are Jorge Masvidal and Conor McGregor. In both cases, Paul made proposals directly to White to make the fights happen with high stakes at play, mostly connected to improving fighter pay and benefits.
But even when Paul’s challenges were restricted to the boxing ring, White wondered why Paul was only challenging—and fighting—smaller opponents. And now that Paul has extended his challenges to MMA fights, White is still wondering the same thing.
“Why isn’t he calling out Israel Adesanya? I know. I know, and you know, and everybody else knows, and he knows, too,” White said in an interview with ESPN.
Jake Paul last competed in December in a viral KO win over former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley. He currently does not have a fight booked but has continued teasing a potential move to MMA.
Once Paul catches wind of these comments from White, perhaps he’ll extend his list of potential opponents for his potential MMA debut to “The Last Stylebender.” And if White’s rhetorical question also functions as a dare, perhaps White will decide to call Paul’s bluff.
Do you think Jake Paul would be willing to fight Israel Adesanya in an MMA fight?
Israel Adesanya is a fan of Paddy Pimblett but wants to see him face harder competition.
UFC London is coming up this weekend and many UK UFC stars will be on display. Paddy Pimblett is not headlining this event, but he is definitely one of the biggest draws on the card.
Pimblett will be making his second appearance in the UFC Octagon, and the Liverpool native will be doing it in front of a near hometown crowd. The media and many fans have embraced Pimblett and have made him a quickly rising star. Even middleweight champion Israel Adesanya is a fan.
Adesanya spoke a bit about Pimblett on his YouTube channel and how he feels he should be approaching his UFC career. First, he brought up the fact that Pimblett is not a fan of extravagant walkouts but then hit a little closer to home.
“He should do that. I dare him to do a f–king whole entrance on the biggest fight of his life,” Adesanya said on his YouTube channel (via MMA Fighting). “I’m not talking this fight — this ain’t the biggest fight of his life. He’s fighting a motherf–ker that’s 1-2 [in the UFC]. He’s getting fed a bum. I dare him to try something like that, and then fight, and do what I did.”
Adesanya Compares His Rise To Pimblett’s
Israel Adesanya Faces Marvin Vettori In Second UFC Fight
Adesanya is referring to Pimblett’s opponent for his homecoming bout at UFC London, Kazula Vargas. Vargas is not a newcomer to MMA. He has been fighting professionally since 2011. However, he has had a tough go of it in the UFC so far in going 1-2 but is coming off a win his last time out. This, Adesanya says, pales in comparison to the competition he faced during his own rise up the UFC ranks.
“I like what he’s doing. I like the haircut, and I like how he’s owning everything and just telling it like it is. He’s speaking his truth,” Adesanya said of Pimblett. “They’re building him up. This is the thing: when I got to the UFC when I jumped in, I was ready to fight the [most] dangerous people of the division, and they threw me right in there against a grappler who was going to grapple me — at least, that’s what he tried to do. Second fight, I’m fighting blockhead [Marvin Vettori], third fight, I fight a top-ranked guy, top-10, f–k, third fight. Look, you can be a hype train but there’s levels.”
Adesanya did indeed jump right into the deep section of the UFC middleweight division when he joined the organization. He makes a good case for hurrying up the ladder, but the UFC has a tendency of slowly bringing new fighters into fighting ranked opponents, especially ones who could become stars such as Pimblett.
Adesanya fought Anderson Silva in his fifth UFC fight and fought for a title in his sixth. That may not be the right path for Pimblett, especially in such a stacked division at lightweight.
Do you agree with Israel Adesanya about Paddy Pimblett?
UFC welterweight star Colby Covington believes he’s clearly done enough to earn a shot at Israel Adesanya’s middleweight title.
Since dropping a second championship shot against reigning 170-pound king Kamaru Usman at UFC 268 last November, Covington has mostly had three names on his lips: Adesanya, Jorge Masvidal, and Dustin Poirier.
But with “The Diamond” suggesting he’ll never share the Octagon with Covington, it’s appearing unlikely that the grudge match will come to fruition. Rounding out his list is “The Last Stylebender,” but the recent remarks of UFC President Dana White seem to suggest that’s also off the table.
“I mean, Colby would have to go up and beat [Jared] Cannonier or [Robert] Whittaker or somebody like that to even be in the discussion with a fight with Adesanya.” (h/t Sportskeeda)
Covington Disagrees With White’s Stance
During a recent appearance on Submission Radio, Covington, who’s targeting a summer return, discussed his options should Poirier maintain his current attitude towards a matchup with him.
“I think I could definitely go up to ’85 and fight Adesanya (in the summer),” said Covington. “But I don’t know if he’s gonna turn around like that. He doesn’t have a dance partner right now. I mean, some of the guys they’re trying to line him up with is unoriginal. Why could Usman fight him? All the fans want that…I beat Usman twice. Usman sucks, dude. Everybody knew, in Madison Square Garden, I won those last three rounds. It was an easy win for me. Easy decision victory, unanimous.
“So why can’t I fight Adesanya? That guy can’t stop my wrestling,” claimed Covington. “I’ll pick him up and drop him on his fucking head. He’s a cardio kickboxer. They’ve got enough cardio kickboxers in women’s classes around the US. I can go join one of those. I decided to pick up hard, grueling American wrestling. I don’t think Adesanya can stop my American wrestling and I don’t think he’s that good of a fighter.”
Former UFC double champion Daniel Cormier has laughed off Alex Pereira’s callout of Jared Cannonier telling the fighter to be realistic.
Pereira took the opportunity in his post-fight press conference at UFC Vegas 50 to call out ‘The Killa Gorilla’ following his unanimous decision win over Bruno Silva.
The UFC middleweight is now 2-0 in the UFC having already defeated Andreas Michailidis in his spectacular UFC debut where he pulled off a flying knee knockout.
Since joining the UFC, it hasn’t taken long for Pereira to bring up his former foe Israel Adesanya with the Brazilian mentioning him often in the build-up to UFC Vegas 50.
Their rivalry goes far back to Pereira’s early days competing in Glory where he is widely known as the only man to defeat Adesanya having done so twice. Once via unanimous decision, with the second time coming in even more convincing fashion scoring a KO/TKO victory.
It now appears Pereira is looking for the quickest route possible to a title shot against the UFC middleweight champion. His latest callout of Cannonier seems ambitious in implying the former Glory kickboxing double-champion wants to fight Adesanya as soon as possible.
Alex Pereira
Yet Cannonier looks set for the next title shot himself meaning the Brazilian’s callout seems unrealistic at this stage. Especially considering Pereira has only had two fights in the organization and is yet to face a ranked opponent.
Cormier has now taken the opportunity to give his thoughts on Pereira’s callout on his ESPN show DC & RC. (h/t BJPenn.com)
“He goes and calls out a guy in Jared Cannonier who’s obviously fighting for the championship,” said Cormier. “Like what are we doing here? I mean, fight someone in the top 15 [first], fight someone in the top 10. Like, I get shooting for the stars, but the stars is anyone with a number next to their name at this point.
“Then again, it’s the wins over Izzy in kickboxing that gives him this sense of invincibility. He’s watching this guy that he knocked out run roughshod over the division, become a megastar and make tons of money. Ultimately, he’s trying to find the shortest path to get to where he feels he belongs. So, hats off to him. But, come on man! Let’s be realistic in the way that we approach our journey through the UFC’s rankings.”
It’s clear Cormier wants to see Pereira face a ranked opponent before he is even mentioned amongst the top contenders at middleweight. We may well see Pereira modify his preferred opponent should Cannonier be confirmed to face Adesanya next any time soon.
What do you make of Alex Pereira’s callout of Jared Cannonier?
Chael Sonnen believes that Israel Adesanya needs Colby Covington to draw more eyeballs to a title fight involving the champion at middleweight.
With Adesanya’s last two fights being rematches which had the champion as a clear favourite, the UFC middleweight division is starting to become less appealing with every title fight. Whittaker did challenge with the latest title shot but yet he ultimately still fell short with nobody seemingly having the answer to Adesanya’s dominance.
Covington has spoken of his interest in going up to face the UFC middleweight champion. The #1 ranked UFC welterweight believes his wrestling could be a determining factor in how a fight may play out against Adesanya. (h/t MMA Fighting)
“I think he needs to go up to 185,” Sonnen told The Chael Sonnen Show onESPN+ show. “Look, Colby has called out three guys in the last two weeks: He, of course, called out Kamaru Usman; he called out Israel Adesanya; and he called out Dustin Poirier. Now you’ve got to understand, the one thing those three guys have in common is they all have world championship belts somewhere on the mantle at home. These are hard callouts by ‘Chaos,’ but ‘Chaos,’ who’s obviously a No. 1 contender, does not get a fight for a championship. It’s a tough spot.
Colby Covington
“So he’s saying, ‘Look, I’m even willing to leave the division. Let me take this golden ticket of No. 1 contender and let me cash it in at 185 pounds.’ And quite frankly, nobody needs Colby as bad as Izzy Adesanya. I don’t know if Israel is aware of that yet, but he’s starting to fight people that aren’t doing their job in the media, that aren’t bringing the attention, that aren’t helping the brand and making the marquee fight as big as it could be. I think if Izzy stood back and saw what Colby has to offer, that’s gonna be a partner that he would like to do business with.”
Covington moving up to middleweight to face Adesanya may well be a possibility for the future. But for now, it appears that Jared Cannonier is next in line at 185lbs for a title shot. Meaning the former UFC interim welterweight champion may have to settle for a grudge match with Dustin Poirier instead or face another opponent at 170lbs.
Should ‘The Killa Gorilla’ be tamed and dealt with convincingly by the middleweight champion then a new face at middleweight may emerge next. However, UFC President Dana White has stated that Covington would not receive an immediate title shot at Adesanya should he move up.
For the most part, the current set of contenders at middleweight seem almost too respectful towards the champion that title fights in the division become less appealing for fans. While we all know the level of confidence Covington has that he will play down any possibility of the champion beating him.
With what we have previously seen of the American’s trash talk we can for sure expect some heated back-and-forth exchanges should a fight ever emerge between the two.
Do you think we ever see Covington fight Adesanya for the UFC middleweight belt?
Former UFC double champion Henry Cejudo was taken aback when Israel Adesanya and Jorge Masvidal got recent mega deals and he didn’t.
Cejudo retired following his successful bantamweight title defense against Dominick Cruz at UFC 249. He hasn’t fought since but has teased a potential UFC return to face featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski.
Cejudo put his name in the sweepstakes to replace Max Holloway against Volkanovski, but Chan Sung Jung (otherwise known as The Korean Zombie) ended up getting the fight over him. UFC president Dana White has remained adamant that Cejudo will need to fight another contender before getting a title shot.
Cejudo left the UFC after being in a contract dispute with the promotion. But after getting word of Adesanya and Masvidal’s new contracts, Cejudo isn’t sure why he wasn’t or hasn’t been offered a similar deal.
“Money talks, bulls*** walks, and I’m not walking, I’m not signing up to USADA until I really get what I deserve,” Cejudo said in an interview with The Underground. “They’re gonna give Israel Adesanya, who doesn’t know how to do a damn moonwalk, can’t win a second belt, can’t defend a takedown to save his life, or Jorge Masvidal, he’s got 17 losses in his career, and they can’t give the ‘Triple C’ some of that cash?
Photo via Instagram @henrycejudo
“If you really think about it, it’s almost like, why do I do this? If the UFC’s just gonna handpick people to decide to pay, because notice what they’re doing now: a week before the fight, they’re starting to give this big payday to those guys because they want to keep the one-percenters happy so nobody else talks s***. I am those one-percenters, so how come they ain’t paying me?” (h/t MMA Fighting)
Cejudo has helped train top UFC stars such as former light heavyweight champion Jon Jones and flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo down at Fight Ready in Arizona. Though it remains unclear whether or not he still intends to return to MMA at some point, he has recently expressed interest in a fight against Max Holloway as a return fight.
If Cejudo ends up returning to the UFC, it’s apparent that the former champion will need a pay raise in comparison to his previous contract. In the meantime, the idea of a super fight between Cejudo and Volkanovski seems dead.
Do you think Henry Cejudo will eventually return to the UFC?
Alex Pereira thinks UFC Middleweight Champion Israel Adesanya doesn’t want to face off with him in the Octagon despite what he tells the public.
Pereira made his UFC debut last year following an impressive run in Glory Kickboxing. He’s also the only fighter in any sport to finish Adesanya, as he did at Glory of Heroes 7.
Pereira has previously said that he made Adesanya break into tears following the knockout. Now that Pereira has made the full-time move to MMA, the third fight between them could happen sooner rather than later.
Adesanya has expressed moderate intrigue in an eventual fight between him and Pereira in the UFC. He’s hinted that Pereira has some work to do before getting a middleweight title shot, at which point he would be more than happy to face Pereira inan MMA setting.
“Man, have you seen me laughing before? It’s hard, right?” Pereira said through chortles. “How does this guy say he’s anxious to fight me? If I were in his shoes and I was crazy to fight someone, anxious, like he’s saying he is … as soon as I heard ‘Alex Pereira has signed with the UFC,’ [I would’ve said] f***, [book it] right away. The respect he has [within the company], I’d say, ‘Ask him if he wants to fight me now. Forget about Robert Whittaker, cancel this fight, reschedule it. I make the calls. If Alex wants it, I want it.’
Israel Adesanya vs. Alex Pereira
“F***, man, that’s what you do is you’re anxious to fight [someone]. ‘Oh, I can’t wait to fight Alex, but I’ll fight him [after] 15 fights.’ F***, How is he anxious to do it? What does he want? Look, I’ll tell you this — it’s harder for me to get to him than beating him. He knows that. He knows how I beat him. He fought me twice. He won’t admit how difficult I am. He’s not anxious to fight me. He wants me to slip tomorrow so he can say, ‘Is this the guy you want me to fight? Are you crazy? Go back to the end of the line.’ He’ll run from me.” (h/t MMA Fighting)
Pereira then went on to proclaim that the UFC middleweight champion may be intentionally avoiding him out of fear.
“Someone crazy for a fight will say, ‘I want this guy, I want to prove I’m better than him,’” Pereira continued. “He’s fooling his fan base. People should pressure him. The least he could do is say, ‘F*ck, I’ll show my fans that I’m the best and that’s why they follow me,’ but that’s not what he’s doing. He’s scared s***. Like Glover [Teixeira] says, he’s scared s***.”
Adesanya is coming off of his UFC 271 title rematch against Robert Whittaker, earning a unanimous decision win. He’s expected to face Jared Cannonier later this year for his next title defense.
If Pereira is able to put on another impressive performance against Silva, calls for a fight with Adesanya will start to ramp up. This could give Adesanya the chance to get vengeance after losing twice to Pereira in the kickboxing ring.
Do you think we’ll eventually see Israel Adesanya vs. Alex Pereira in the UFC?
UFC Middleweight Champion Israel Adesanya has taken shots at Jon Jones’ 2021 arrest and suggested the former light heavyweight titleholder needs to fight himself and his demons.
But after a much-discussed clash with champion Francis Ngannou fell through last year, “Bones” sat out for all of 2021. Nevertheless, thanks to yet another run-in with the law, his name still remained firmly in the headlines despite his absence from active competition.
During a recent interaction with TMZ Sports, Adesanya, who’s had his fair share of back and forth with Jones in recent years, appeared to jibe at his foe’s troubles, which represented the latest of many legal issues over the past decade.
“The Last Stylebender” suggested he was glad to be on the TMZ channel for his accomplishments, rather than for head-butting a cop vehicle.
“I’m glad I can be invited to TMZ; I’m not here, getting looked up for the wrong reasons, and being put on TMZ [impersonates TMZ intro], and some crazy video of me banging my head on a cop car or something crazy like that. I’m glad that’s not me,” said Adesanya.
Having brought up the topic of Jones, Adesanya was asked about his own feud with the New York-born star. The Nigerian-New Zealander reminded fans that Jones was the initiator, something he believes proved that the two-time light heavyweight king saw him as a “threat.”
While he reiterated a willingness to share the cage with Jones in the future, Adesanya asserted that the 34-year-old must fight himself and his demons first.
“I remember it because he was the one that started it on TMZ. And everyone likes to say, ‘Ah, Izzy,’ no. He put my name in his mouth first,” reminded Adesanya. “So I’m like, ‘Well, he was a fan, and he realized there’s an opportunity there.’ I’m like, ‘Oh, for real? You’re supposed to be the GOAT and you wanna fight me? That shows me you think I’m a threat.’
“I was like, ‘Yeah, I’m gonna get the other one.’ So I dealt with Silva, who was my favorite fighter at the time. So yeah, I’m like ‘F*ck this c*nt,’” added Adesanya. “But, hey, he needs to fight himself, or fight his demons. That’s the main things he needs to be fighting. Go back to church.”
However, now three months into 2022 and nearly two years beyond his decision to relinquish the light heavyweight title, and Jones doesn’t appear any closer to his divisional debut.
“First of all, go fight Francis. I said I was gonna move up in weight, I did it the next year. He’s said it since like 2013, ‘Ah, I still gotta do this first, and do that.’ I’m like, ‘Bro, this is martial arts. If you’re the best, go prove you’re the best. This is the game we’re in.’ It’s not just about size, and this and that,” concluded Adesanya.
If this is the Apex of heavyweight fighting, I’m excited about it. Got some more records to break
As most would have expected, Jones was vocal after Ngannou’s January triumph against Ciryl Gane. Nevertheless, with “The Predator” out of action following surgery and potentially on his way out of the promotion at the end of the year, Jones’ future is still uncertain.
The following story was published on this day two years ago. It is presented to you in its original, unaltered form, courtesy of The MMA News Archives.
On This Day Two Years Ago…
[ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED MARCH 6, 2020, 4:36 PM]
Headline: Michael Bisping Feels He Would’ve Beaten Israel Adesanya In His Prime
Author: Fernando Quiles Jr.
Michael Bisping has praise for Israel Adesanya but he believes he would’ve dethroned “The Last Stylebender” in his prime.
Adesanya is set to put his UFC middleweight championship on the line for the first time. Tomorrow night (March 7), Adesanya will collide with Yoel Romero. The 185-pound title bout will serve as the main event of UFC 248 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Bisping Says He’d Beat Adesanya If He Were Still Fighting
One person who knows a thing or two about holding UFC gold is Bisping. The now-retired UFC Hall of Famer is a former middleweight champion himself. Appearing on SiriusXM’s MMA Tonight show, Bisping said he’d beat Adesanya if he were still fighting (h/t BJPenn.com).
“Listen, and here’s the real thing, if I was still fighting, I’d take that belt off him [Israel Adesanya] pretty easily, but I’m not,” Bisping said. “So, listen, I like Adesanya — I’m a massive fan of the guy — he’s a great personality, he’s a great fighter and I’m a fan of Yoel as well, it’s going to be a good one.”
Adesanya is undefeated in his pro MMA career. He has a record of 18-0. “The Last Stylebender” captured the interim UFC middleweight gold against Kelvin Gastelum back in April 2019. He took things one step further with his Oct. 2019 TKO victory over Robert Whittaker to become the undisputed 185-pound king.
Bisping retired after being stopped by Kelvin Gastelum back in Nov. 2017. Earlier that month, Bisping was submitted by Georges St-Pierre, losing the middleweight title in the process. While “The Count” mulled his options such as a trilogy bout with Luke Rockhold, he ultimately decided it was time to move on with his life.
Of course, Bisping isn’t away from the sport of MMA entirely. He serves as a color commentator and analyst for the UFC. He also discusses several hot topics in the world of MMA on his Believe You Me podcast.
UFC Middleweight Champion Israel Adesanya is open to the idea of a Colby Covington fight, but Covington has some work to do first.
Adesanya is fresh off his title rematch win over Robert Whittaker at UFC 271. He’s more than likely set to face Jared Cannonier next later this year after Cannonier knocked out Derek Brunson earlier on that same card.
Covington is set to face Jorge Masvidal at UFC 272 but has already discussed his future plans. He’s teased a potential matchup with Adesanya at middleweight happening sometime over his next few fights.
UFC President Dana White has shut down the idea of Covington getting an immediate title shot and listed what he needs to do to get a fight against Adesanya.
“Everyone always has the idea until they’re across the cage from me, and then it’s a different beast,” Adesanya said. “Ala Paulo Costa, or anyone else I’ve fought. I’d say just fight someone else. You can’t just come straight for the champ. Who the f**k are you? Are you dumb? Call someone else out. It would be a selling point, definitely. Big mouth. I can shut that s**t up.”
Adesanya and the interviewer went on to allude that Covington is really a 155 pounder fighting at 170.
Covington has had a long-standing rivalry with Adesanya’s close friend, Kamaru Usman. Covington fell to Usman at UFC 268 in their rematch via a unanimous decision.
While a Covington vs. Adesanya fight may not be out of the question going forward, it appears that Covington has a few things to do first before a middleweight title shot.
Do you want to see Israel Adesanya vs. Colby Covington?
UFC Middleweight Champion Israel Adesanya has become the latest UFC star to speak out in favor of Cain Velasquez after his arrest this week.
Velasquez was arrested earlier this week on an attempted murder charge after a targeted shooting of an alleged molester of one of his younger relatives. In a high-speed chase, Velasquez intended to shoot the accused molester, Harry Eugene Goularte, but wounded Goularte’s stepfather instead.
Velasquez faces at least 20 years in prison if convicted. He is currently being held without bail at a Bay Area jail.
During a recent sitdown with TMZ Sports, Adesanya defended Velasquez’s actions and reflected on how he would’ve handled the same situation.
“Yeah, that’s f**ked up,” Adesanya said of Velasquez’s recent incident. “I know they’re saying he hit the wrong guy, he shot the wrong guy. But look, I can’t imagine the rage. Because there’s been times, and I’m a human being. There’s been times where my shadow self has emerged and I lose it. That’s why I don’t like to react these days, I like to respond. Because if you react, you’re acting off of emotion. But I can’t imagine because I’m not a father, and I can’t imagine what that’s like, but I know for a fact he did the right thing. He honestly did the right thing, 100 percent.”
Adesanya isn’t alone in his defense of Velasquez. Many current and former stars, including former bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey, have spoken out in favor of the former heavyweight champ.
Adesanya has emerged as one of the biggest stars in the UFC. He most recently defeated former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker via unanimous decision at UFC 271.
UFC President Dana White has shut down the idea of welterweight contender Colby Covington moving up and immediately challenging for Israel Adesanya’s middleweight title.
With two valiant performances against reigning 170-pound king Kamaru Usman, Covington has cemented his place as the second-best welterweight in the UFC in the eyes of many.
Now, as he approaches a long-awaited grudge match against bitter rival Jorge Masvidal, Covington has once again had the middleweight kingpin’s name on his lips. And with the controversial welterweight’s feud and remarks towards Adesanya’s compatriot Usman during their saga, the backstory would certainly write itself.
Israel Adesanya responds to controversial comments made by Colby Covington after UFC Vegas 11 insulting fellow Nigerian Kamaru Usman's heritage. #UFC253pic.twitter.com/dZA3tFZj0c
But while Covington is hoping to put an emphatic end to his rivalry with former teammate and friend Masvidal and advance towards a meeting in the Octagon with Adesanya, the UFC president isn’t so keen.
During a recent interview with TMZ Sports, White revealed what “Chaos” would have to do to enter the title conversation at 185 pounds, and it’s likely more than Covington would have been hoping for…
“I mean, Colby would have to go up and beat [Jared] Cannonier or [Robert] Whittaker or somebody like that to even be in the discussion with a fight with Adesanya.” (h/t Sportskeeda)
Covington Has To Get Past Masvidal First
Before setting his sights on Adesanya, another middleweight contender, or anyone else at 170 pounds for that matter, Covington has a stiff test in front of him this weekend in the form of “Gamebred.”
While their non-title fight headlines the UFC’s third pay-per-view of 2022, the likes of Edson Barboza, Bryce Mitchell, Kevin Holland, and Marina Rodriguez will also be in action.
While Masvidal will be hoping to rebound from consecutive losses to Usman and potentially return to contention, Covington will put his place as the #1 welterweight on the line and look to keep his hopes of a middleweight title shot alive.
Would you like to see Colby Covington challenge for Israel Adesanya’s middleweight title down the line?
Israel Adesanya reports he was down to his last few hundred dollars before making a deal with the UFC.
Now a four-time title defending champion and signed to a new major deal with the UFC, surely financial hardship isn’t on the course for Adesanya.
However, before he got his chance with The Ultimate Fighting Championship, Adesanya experienced less than desirable contracts with other fight promotions.
He claims there was only $300 in his bank account at the time. This was mostly due to a company in China breaching their contract with him.
“The company that I was working in China f***** me over cause I had seven fights left in my contract, each fight at that time was like $25,000. And they just stopped giving me fights. I was like ‘what about the contract I need fights’,” said Adesanya, according to Mirror.
He credits MMA clothing line and products site Engage for getting him through the rough patch.
Israel Adesanya
“So, I went to the UFC. Shout out to Engage though, they came in the clutch at that time. This was around my UFC debut at around November 2017. I wouldn’t have rent for either the next week or the week after,” Adesanya continued.
Friends and family also pulled through to help the future champ.
“This is one thing I loved about my parents, they always supported me. I hated going to them and asking ‘can you pay me this’ but I always did. And a friend like Corbin [close friend of Adesanya] as well, who was always in the clutch for me as well. People like that I keep around and I hold them dearly,” The champ explained.
Next Up For Adesanya
Israel Adesanya, Photo Credit: Carmen Mandato/Getty Images
The middleweight champ signed a multi-fight deal with the UFC before his second battle against Robert Whittaker.
Whittaker thought he had the arsenal geared up to defeat Adesanya, but came up short in the decision. At such a close match, and “Bobby Knuckles” claiming to be the only fighter with the potential to take him down, a trilogy may be in store for the future.
UFC Middleweight Champion Israel Adesanya would’ve loved to have tested himself against boxing legend Prince Naseem Hamed in the ring.
Adesanya is fresh off his unanimous decision win over Robert Whittaker in their title rematch at UFC 271. Adesanya is undefeated at middleweight since signing with the UFC back in 2018.
In addition to being one of the best fighters in the world, Adesanya is also a student of the fight game. He has followed boxing and MMA for years and has implemented skills from other legends into his repertoire.
During a recent interview with SunSport, Adesanya named Hamed as the one fighter he would’ve wanted to go back in time and fight.
“I would’ve liked to have fought Prince Naseem Hamed.
Prince Naseem Hamed, Credit: AP2001
“Just because I liked the style [he had]. His cadence, his rhythm, his showmanship. Everything.
“So I would’ve liked to have tested myself against that guy.” (h/t The Sun)
Hamed earned the WBO featherweight title and the WBC super-bantamweight title during his illustrious career. He retired in 2002 following his win over Manuel Calvo in front of a raucous crowd in London, UK.
UFC welterweight contender Colby Covington is open to a shot at middleweight champion Israel Adesanya after a win at UFC 272.
Covington is slated to face his former friend and teammate Jorge Masvidal in a grudge match at UFC 272. The headliner has been a highly anticipated matchup for months and a fight that the fans have wanted for a long time.
Covington and Masvidal have both lost to UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman twice, which makes their respective prospects for another title run a bit questionable. Covington in particular has teased competing at multiple weight classes in the past.
“I’m not opposed to going up to 185 and beating up Stylebender,” Covington said. “That guy, he’s not a well-rounded fighter. He can’t keep up with my pace. I know I can take him down and drown him. So there’s a lot of options for me out there.”
Covington has also expressed a profound interest in a third fight with Usman along with a potential matchup with another former teammate of his in Dustin Poirier.
Adesanya earned the middleweight title over Robert Whittaker at UFC 243 before earning dominant wins over Paulo Costa and Marvin Vettori. He rematched Whittaker at UFC 271 and won the bout via a unanimous decision.
First thing’s first for Covington. He and Masvidal have gone at it on social media for years and will settle their beef in the Octagon at UFC 272. Depending on how it plays out, a matchup with Adesanya may not be outside of the realm of possibility.
Who do you want Colby Covington to face after UFC 272?
Israel Adesanya is fresh off his latest title defense when he defeated Robert Whittaker in the main event of UFC 271. Right before that fight, Adesanya closed a massive deal with the UFC. He signed a new deal with an undisclosed amount of money involved, but according to his management made him one of the highest-paid fighters on the roster.
“I think Jake Paul was the right guy to [challenge Dana White] at the time,” Adesanya told talkSPORT (via Daily Mail). “He was one of the guys to get this conversation going that Francis [Ngannou] jumped in. You have me even now speaking about it. I’m talking about the guy who is having the second fight in the UFC, I think they should be paid well enough that they can have a 12-week training camp without having a second or third job.”
Paul has been vocal about wanting to help UFC fighters raise their paychecks. He has gone back-and-forth publicity with Dana White regarding the urge to pay the fighters more money. Paul has just a handful of boxing fights on his résumé but is making a lucrative living. Not only is he living well through fighting, but he says he wants to help others do the same.
Paul has taken it upon himself to buy some stock in UFC’s parent company Endeavor in hopes of having a say in the decision-making process regarding fighter pay. Although he has not made an impact formally just yet, Adesanya thinks that Paul bringing the subject too light is helping. Adesanya explained that he had a chance to speak with Paul personally and believes that he is sincere in his campaign to help other fighters.
“I ended up at his house after the fight and we went deep into some conversations and talking to him, you realize ‘man, this guy is really serious. Like, he’s not just doing this for [clout, etc],” Adesanya said. “Because if you don’t know him, you just kind of fall into that ‘Ah, this snobby little kid we think he’s just doing this for attention, for likes or clout, but you talk to him and it’s like ‘Yo, he’s really serious.’”
It is not only the new UFC fighters or the prelim fighters that are having issues regarding money. The top fighters are also looking for higher wages. UFC heavyweight Francis Ngannou has been vocal about wanting more money and freedom from the UFC. Now, perhaps with Adesanya being paid more, the door will be open for other fighters as well.
Do you agree with Israel Adesanya? Is Jake Paul’s outspokenness on fighter pay is helping?
Former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jan Blachowicz has teased what made him get the better of Israel Adesanya at UFC 259.
Blachowicz earned a dominant win over Adesanya at UFC 259, which was Adesanya’s first and only defeat in the Octagon. He has risen to stardom at middleweight despite falling short of double-champion status against Blachowicz.
A lot has changed since Blachowicz and Adesanya went to battle last year. Blachowicz went on to lose the title stunningly to Glover Teixeira at UFC 267, while Adesanya has defended his belt against Marvin Vettori and most recently against Robert Whittaker.
Despite being the light heavyweight titleholder in their matchup, some fans saw Blachowicz as the underdog against Adesanya. During a recent interview with Sportsnaut, Blachowicz explained what made his approach to Adesanya different than his other opponents.
“It was because I’m Jan Blachowicz, they are not,” Blachowicz said. “This is the biggest difference. In this fight, I took my legendary Polish power with me. That’s it. This is the secret, legendary Polish power. If I don’t forget it in the hotel room I beat everybody. If I forget it, not.”
Adesanya hasn’t ruled out another attempt at light heavyweight after losing to Blachowicz. He’s also been at odds with another former light heavyweight champion Jon Jones after a series of social media banter.
Blachowicz was supposed to face Aleksandar Rakic next month but had to withdraw due to an injury. The matchup is expected to be rescheduled for later this year.
If Blachowicz is victorious against Rakic and reclaims the light heavyweight throne, a rematch against Adesanya could be on the table. This would allow Adesanya to get vengeance at 205 pounds.
What did you make of the Jan Blachowicz vs. Israel Adesanya matchup?
Israel Adesanya’s next fight will see “The Last Stylebender” defend his UFC Middleweight Championship for the fifth time.
We do not know who the next opponent will be. However, we can look at several possible challengers and narrow down the options.
Victory over Robert Whittaker at UFC 271
Adesanya most recently fought at in the main event of UFC 271 back on February 21st. He battled Robert Whittaker in Houston, Texas, and picked up a unanimous decision to conclude their storied rivalry. Robert Whittaker was a challenge, but he was outclassed by the 32-year-old fighting out of Auckland, New Zealand.
The win improved Izzy’s MMA record to 22-1. The performance also propelled him to become the number two ranked fighter in the UFC men’s pound-for-pound rankings.
Adesanya is in a very important stage of his MMA career. He has already shown the world what he can do. He’s reached the top of the mountain and deserves the “champion” title he has earned. It is now about racking up an impressive streak of wins as champion. Of course, it’s not just about numbers or a streak. He needs to fight against top-caliber fighters to cement a legacy for himself that will stand up over time.
(Photo: The Mac Life)
Potential Next Opponents for Israel Adesanya’s Next Fight
As he continues his championship run, it’s time to start thinking about the next challenger. If we look at the Top 15 rankings, two people have stuck out as possible contenders.
Jared Cannonier
Jared Cannonier (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)
The “Killa Gorilla” Jared Cannonier is ranked 2nd in the middleweight division, with a two-fight win streak.
He defeated fourth-ranked middleweight Derek Brunson at UFC 271 by KO in the 2nd round. Cannonier’s win also ended Brunson’s five-fight win streak and his chances of fighting for a UFC championship before he retires. After his win, Jared Cannonier made his case to fight Isreal Adesanya for the UFC Middleweight Championship.
Cannonier won five out of his last six fights since fighting at middleweight, after beginning his UFC career as a heavyweight and light heavyweight. The “Killa Gorilla” seems to be next in line, and Israel Adesanya and UFC President Dana White also believe in thinking so.
Adesanya called him out on the MMA Hour with ArielHelwani for a Pay Per View event in June or July. UFC President Dana White has also acknowledged Jared Cannonier as the next title contender and was impressed by his win against Derek Brunson at the UFC 271 post-fight press conference.
“I was excited to see that fight to see how it was going to play out. It was an awesome fight, and Yeah, I’m not going to say no to Cannonier,” said White. However, he was unsure when the fight could happen.
Adesanya vs. Cannonier would probably generate much interest from fight fans.
Sean Strickland
Sean Strickland (Photo: MMA Junkie)
UFC could also be looking at another contender in the division to fight Adesanya for the middleweight title.
Sean Strickland could be the next opponent if Cannonier isn’t ready to compete. He’s ranked fifth in the middleweight division and has a better winning record than Cannionier with six straight wins.
Strickland also has some hatred towards Adesanya, as he accused Izzy of being a steroid abuser in an interview with MMA journalist Helen Yee.
“I mean, Israel’s just a crafty motherfucker,” said Strickland. He continued, “Like, don’t get me wrong, we all know he does steroids, and that probably helps his performance—we all seen him fight with the titty that hung down. I mean, have you ever seen a man fight in the UFC with /gyno from weed? I mean, look at Nate Diaz; if that was the case, Nate Diaz would have tits down to his knees. Get out of here with this. (h/t Harvey Leonard)
“The Last Stylebender” wants to stay active, and Strickland is always ready to fight. Strickland’s comments about Adesanya could also sway the UFC to make them fight for the middleweight title at an event later this year.
Cannonier is probably more likely, but Israel Adesanya vs. Sean Strickland could also be a great match-up.
When Will Israel Adesanya Fight Next?
We know wants to fight three times this year.
Israel Adesanya requested to fight in June or July. However, the UFC has announced that UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Glover Teixeira vs. Jiri Prochazka would headline UFC 275 on Jun. 11. Adesanya has only fought in the main event since become the UFC Middleweight Champion, and it’s unlikely the UFC will make him fight in the co-main event of UFC 275. It’s also unclear if the UFC already has a title fight planned for the July event.
Playing it Safe?
Israel Adesanya is dealing with being too dominant that his idol Anderson Silva had when he held the UFC Middleweight Champion.
While Adesanya is winning decisively, he has one TKO victory in his last four fights defending the title.
After his win against Robert Whittaker at UFC 271, both UFC fans and his peers believed he may have played it safe. Silva also faced criticism similar to Adesanya when he held the Middleweight belt.
Marvin Vettori criticized Adesanya’s performance on Twitter and said that he was “fighting scared” at UFC 271. Michael Chandler also showed his displeasure for the fight on social media after the event.
Conclusion
Israel Adesanya hopes to continue his dominance in the UFC Middleweight division. While he may not be winning by knockout lately, he still has defeated top-ranked contenders.
The champion also teased, returning to light heavyweight to become a two-division champion. For now, Adesanya will look forward to his next title fight.
Hit up the comments section and tell us what challenger makes the most sense for Israel Adesanya’s next fight.
UFC Middleweight Champion Israel Adesanya isn’t happy with how Robert Whittaker has handled the aftermath of their rematch at UFC 271.
Adesanya earned a unanimous decision victory over Whittaker in their main event rematch at UFC 271. It was a back-and-forth competitive fight, but Adesanya earned the win on the judges’ scorecards.
Adesanya had a similar situation happen with another of his previous opponents, Marvin Vettori. During their post-UFC 263 banter, Vettori claimed that he felt he won the fight over Adesanya.
During a recent interview with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, Adesanya compared how Whittaker and Vettori handled their losses.
“He and Vettori are sippin’ the same wine that Costa was sippin’,” Adesanya said.
Adesanya went on to claim that he allegedly heard Whittaker’s team having the opposite opinion mid-fight.
“But yeah, everyone’s entitled to their opinion. I’m not gonna try to change their opinion. But from what I’ve heard, his corner was telling him in the corner, like, ‘You’re losing this fight. You need to step up.’ That’s what I’ve heard. How the fuck you gonna think you won when your corner’s telling you you’re losing the fight?”
Israel Adesanya Is Expected To Face Jared Cannonier Next
Israel Adesanya’s next fight might be against Jared Cannonier later this year. Cannonier earned a gruesome knockout win over Derek Brunson on the UFC 271 main card, setting up a showdown for the middleweight title.
Adesanya has previously expressed interest in a fight with Cannonier, and it appears that it’ll finally come to fruition. Before the win over Brunson, Cannonier had earned big wins over the likes of Jack Hermansson and Kelvin Gastelum.
For now, it appears that any hope of a third fight between Adesanya and Whittaker is on hold. Whittaker will need to go on another win streak to potentially earn a third chance at Adesanya.
How did you score Israel Adesanya vs. Robert Whittaker 2?
Israel Adesanya has slammed Ali Abdelaziz for comments he recently made about a superfight between the UFC Middleweight Champion and the reigning welterweight king, Kamaru Usman.
Adesanya and Usman are currently two of the most dominant champions in MMA’s premier promotion. The pair have enjoyed a similar rise up the ladder of their respective divisions, culminating in championship glory and multiple defenses.
But owing to their national connection and both men’s desire to avoid dethroning a fellow African titleholder, the matchup seems unlikely. Usman even recently claimed it would take a $100 million offer to force him into the Octagon with Adesanya.
Despite that, Usman’s manager, Dominance MMA Management CEO Abdelaziz, is still harboring hope of it coming together. He’s even suggested that if the pair are “real brothers,” they’d agree to make each other some money by sharing the cage.
The continent of Africa is quickly emerging as a new #MMA superpower 🌍
Ali Abdelaziz lays out his plan to see Kamaru Usman and Israel Adesanya meet inside the cage 👊💥🇳🇬
It’s safe to say Abdelaziz’s comments haven’t gone down well with the reigning middleweight king…
During a recent appearance on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, Adesanya responded to the suggestion he and Usman should ditch their allegiance in the name of money-making.
“The Last Stylebender” slammed Abdelaziz’s view as “disgusting,” and suggested Usman’s manager wouldn’t push for the superfight if he really was a fellow “African brother.”
“The way [Abdelaziz] did it was just disgusting. I usually express that the way we do it in our gym and the code that we have,” said Adesanya. “And like I said, me and Kamaru definitely feel the same way. What’s the point? This is bigger than us. Kids are gonna look at us generations from now and be like, ‘Those guys from Nigeria, they did that. They ruled this whole thing till they left, and they left on top’—same with Francis as well.
“[Abdelaziz] always comes up to me, ‘My brother, African brother!’ this and that. So I’m like, if you’re supposed to be a brother brother, why you trying to be selfish now and look at the dollar signs?” Adesanya concluded.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B3Q4wIyACBU/
Given Adesanya’s reaction, it seems it would take a spectacular falling out in order to make him share the Octagon with Usman. With that said, it appears both men will have to look to light heavyweight if they’re to achieve two-division success.
Israel Adesanya has issued a response/non-response to the ever-querulous Khamzat Chimaev.
At UFC 271, Israel Adesanya turned in another successful middleweight title defense when he defeated Robert Whittaker for the second time. His performance was met with mixed reviews, but there was nothing complimentary at all coming from rising star Khamzat Chimaev.
Chimaev began his UFC career with an eye on both the welterweight and middleweight championships. When he returned to action in October 2021, he had committed to focusing solely on the welterweight division.
But Borz just cannot help himself. He is always hungry when looking at gold on other warriors’ plates, especially when the owner has competed in a division that is familiar to him.
Chimaev Says Adesanya Would Be “Easy” Work, Adesanya Responds
Israel Adesanya
After Adesanya’s UFC 271 victory, in a since-removed tweet due to violating Twitter rules, Chimaev posted:
“I mean, he’s not really relevant right now,” Adesanya explained. “I don’t have to take him seriously till I have to take him seriously. Like, his last fight, I was impressed with. I was like, ‘Yo, that guy’s good.’ But there’s levels. So we’ll see how he does with Gilbert [Burns]. And he’s only fought like one middleweight fight that I’ve seen. And I’m just like, ‘Who has he fought?’”
Khamzat Chimaev is currently 10-0 as a professional and 4-0 in the UFC. He is also 4-0 in career middleweight bouts. His lone middleweight victory in the UFC came against Gerald Meerschaert via one single punch. His only win over a ranked opponent was in a welterweight contest against Li Jingliang at UFC 267.
Still, Adesanya acknowledges that Chimaev has talent. Even with the relatively small sample size, that would be hard for anyone to deny. But at the same time, the reigning middleweight king feels “Borz” has a lot more to prove until he is worthy of his attention.
“And he can beat a lot of middleweights, I’ll tell you that much—a lot of top-level middleweights,” Adesanya said. “But I don’t have to take him seriously until I have to take him seriously.”
As Adesanya alluded, Chimaev is currently expected to fight Gilbert Burns next, but that bout has not yet been announced. Adesanya is expected to fight next this summer against Jared Cannonier.
What are your thoughts on Israel Adesanya’s comments about Khamzat Chimaev?
Israel Adesanya’s head coach Eugene Bareman has shut down Joe Rogan’s in-fight assessment that the UFC champion broke his hand at UFC 271.
Adesanya earned a unanimous decision win over former champion Robert Whittaker in the UFC 271 main event. He utilized an efficient striking attack to out-pace Whittaker, especially in the later rounds.
Eyebrows were raised when Rogan texted play-by-play commentator Jon Anik in the middle of the broadcast that he thought Adesanya had broken his right hand. Adesanya appeared to curl his right hand and not be as active with it as the fight went on.
“No, that’s more to do with something that happened in Rounds 2 through 4, trying to get that right-hand side going,” Bareman said. “But for whatever reason, Robert was making Israel a little anxious to throw not just the right hand but the right side in terms of the leg going a little bit. [Israel] said not just the right side in terms of the upper body moving, but there was a block there that [Israel] tried to mitigate [his] way through each round. But for whatever reason, [he] wasn’t able to successfully get that right hand going the way we wanted to. So it wasn’t about a broken hand or anything, it was [mental].”
Rogan was absent from the commentary team due to an unknown conflict. It was originally reported by some outlets that it was due to a scheduling issue, but UFC President Dana White has since shut that theory down.
Adesanya has now successfully defended his title four times since knocking out Whittaker at UFC 243. He also challenged for the light heavyweight title against Jan Blachowicz at UFC 259 but fell short in a decision.
Bareman has clarified Adesanya’s health status with his hand and it sounds like the middleweight champion is still anticipating a return for some time this summer.
Who do you want to see Israel Adesanya fight next in 2022?
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