Israel Adesanya will face a fresh challenge at the hands of Jared Cannonier at UFC 276

UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya holds an unwavering view that he’s the best middleweight on the planet, and his record speaks for itself. He has been on a rampant run, wiping out almost the entire division. He is all set to face Jared Cannonier at UFC 276, in a quest for his fifth title defense.

‘The Last Stylebender’ has emerged as a true superstar in recent times drawing his inspiration from anime, hip hop culture and his African roots. From his flamboyant octagon entries to his spectacular mic skills, the Nigerian born never shies away from a challenge.

In a sport that is evolving everyday, ‘Izzy’ has changed the way we perceive striking through his laser-sharp precision punches, exceptional footwork and seemingly unintelligible defense.

What makes his striking special is the art of ‘micro feints.’

Izzy has successfully set in motion and established the feint game which was unique when MMA textbook striking is taken into consideration. He draws reactions out of his opponents through subtle movements and in doing so computes the data and launches his range of attacks.

He has a wide variety of skills in his arsenal and tricks up his sleeves that he uses to penetrate the opponents game plan and leaves it to pieces.

MMA pundits say it constantly and we’ve seen it, albeit rarely in fights where Izzy has had trouble. He has an impeccable balance of offense and defense that allows him to slip punches and opponent ambush just in time.

His ability to mix things up from switch kicks, throwaway shots, drawing attacks and counter strikes is what sets him apart.

Adesanya won the interim championship against Kelvin Gastelum at UFC 236, and cemented his claim as the undisputed champion by knocking out Robert Whittaker at UFC 243. Israel Adesanya has defended his middleweight championship four times as of now, and will face Jared Cannonier at UFC 276 in a bid to make his fifth successful defense.

‘I can’t wait to drive through Alex Pereira’s face’- Israel Adesanya eyes a fight with former foe Alex Pereira after Jared Cannonier

Following the signing of Brazilian kickboxer Alex Pereira to the UFC, the narrative for a fight between him and middleweight champion Israel Adesanya seemed to be writing itself. The former number. 1 ranked kickboxer in the middleweight and light heavyweight division, Pereira’s style is the kryptonite to Adesanya’s unprecedented reign.

“Poatan” defeated Adesanya twice in kickboxing, winning a 2016 decision in China, and landed a left hook for a vicious, memorable knockout in their rematch, the following year in Brazil. Currently, with just one fight old in the UFC, Adesanya has dismissed talks of the fight in the near future, labelling it as ‘ a bit premature’. Adesanya even said in the past that his loss came because he got too comfortable in the boxing range, and he is a much more transformed fighter.

Brazilian kickboxing phenom, Alex Pereira encountered Adesanya twice in the kickboxing terrain, and emerged victorious twice. Pereira’s first encounter with Adesanya came in April 2016 at Glory of Heroes 1. ‘Poatan’ outperformed Adesanya to earn a unanimous decision victory after three rounds.

A year later, the competitors met again – at Glory of Heroes 15. The rematch proved to be a more decisive win for Pereira. After some initial success inside the boxing range for Adesanya, the ‘Stylebender’ fearlessly stepped inside Pereira’s range continually. Pereria landed a perfectly calculated left-hook, as soon as Adesanya moved inside range after landing the left high-kick, that knocked him out cold.

Memories of those losses, especially the knockout still runs fresh in Adesanya’s mind, as he looks to exact retribution, this time inside the UFC octagon. ‘Stylebender’ has a mammoth task in hand when he faces Jared Cannonier at UFC 276, while Alex Pereira is set to face Sean Strickland on the same card. The two will in most likely cross paths for the first time in years, and Adesanya has sized the Brazilian as his next opponent should the two get past their individual fights.

Speaking to the media alongside his teammates Alexander Volkanovski and Kai Kara France, Adesanya said, ‘“This TikTok generation has 15-second memory, so they forget,” Adesanya said. “All they see is the knockout, but they didn’t watch the first fight or even watch the second fight before the finish. This is not kickboxing, this is mixed martial arts, and these ain’t big pillow gloves. These are four-ounce deadly weapons, and I can’t wait to drive that through his face after I go through Jared Cannonier.”

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