MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - OCTOBER 06: Israel Adesanya celebrates his victory over Robert Whittaker between in their Middleweight title bout during UFC 243 at Marvel Stadium on October 06, 2019 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Darrian Traynor/Getty Images)
We take a deep dive into the mind of the middleweight king and study his varied skillset
Eugene Bareman and his team at The City Kickboxing Academy have taken the MMA world by storm. Producing world-class athletes like Shane Young, Kai Kara-France, Brad Riddell, Dan Hooker, featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski and middleweight champion Israel Adesanya, the fight team has emerged as one of the strongest camps in the MMA world today.
The prized possession amongst this fresh crop of new talent is the undisputed middleweight king, Israel Adesanya.
‘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.
The world is excited to watch the rematch between Israel Adesanya and Robert Whittaker at UFC 271 and fans of striking are expecting to see some fresh tools from ‘The Last Stylebender.’
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