"Probably why most people can enjoy the sport" - Andrew Schulz weighs in on backlash to Israel Adesanya's performance at UFC 276
![Andrew Schulz (front) weighs in on Israel Adesanya's performance at UFC 276. [Credits: Youtube/MMAFightingonSBN]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2022/07/808b5-16575761429905-1920.jpg?w=500)
Popular podcaster Andrew Schulz recently gave his take on Israel Adesanya's performance at UFC 276.
Israel Adesanya locked horns with Jared Cannonier in the main event of UFC 276 with the middleweight title on the line. 'The Last Stylebender' successfully defended his belt with a decision win over 'The Killa Gorilla'.
However, 'Izzy' faced considerable backlash after the fight when MMA fans expressed their disappointment, claiming that the fight was uneventful and lackluster.
In a recent appearance on The MMA Hour, Andrew Schulz appreciated Adesanya's technical understanding of the sport. The podcaster defended the Kiwi, explaining how Adesanya has to be calculative while fighting as he takes on "riskier" fighters.
Sharing his opinion on the Israel Adesanya vs Jared Cannonier fight, Andrew Schulz said:
"I think what happens is, like, as you are champion and as you are dominant, you are fighting the riskiest fighters. So, the fights are not going to be as entertaining when you get a tomato can knockout in the first round."
Schulz also stated how MMA fans sometimes do not understand the nuances of the sport and expect a "bar fight" from the fighters:
"I can see how a guy like Chris Pratt, who's a sweet guy, is like, 'I just want to see carnage dude!' Like, I want to see a bar fight. And that's probably why most people can enjoy the sport without really having any knowledge of it."
You can check out the full episode of The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani below:
Israel Adesanya opens up about his fight with Jared Cannonier at UFC 276
The middleweight champion has taken a lot of flak from MMA fans who claimed that his recent fight with Jared Cannonier was dull and lacking in action.
In a recent video uploaded to his YouTube channel FREESTYLEBENDER, Adesanya admitted that he could have performed better during his latest outing against 'The Killa Gorilla'. However, the middleweight champ stated that he would not risk losing a fight just to "entertain" people.
The Kiwi said:
"I really wanted to do what I set out to do. Like, f**k everybody else. It's what I set out do... Even he said, he's going to make me easy work. How come he's getting no flak?...For me I'm like, I just know I am gonna put them away in spectacular fashion, and it's just like f**k."
Speaking further, he said:
"It's not even about people, but I hate eating my words... I could have done better but they got to give me something as well. I'm not going to just risk carelessly to entertain people... like, for what?"
You can check out Adesanya's full interview below: