'He's outclassing these guys because they're not dynamic strikers' - Uriah Hall insists he's the man who can stop Israel Adesanya
Uriah Hall believes Israel Adesanya can perform exceptionally well against middleweight fighters because none of Stylebender's opponents are dynamic strikers that can challenge him in striking.
In a recent interview with Uriah Hall, James Lynch asked Hall to share his thoughts on Israel Adesanya as a potential matchup. Uriah Hall compared himself and Adesanya with Japanese Anime characters and told Lynch that he is confident of defeating Adesanya if they end up fighting.
"It's perfect. It's like the Japanese Anime. he (Israel Adesanya) is Naruto, I am Goku and I will f**k him up. But I am not gonna take away anything from him that he is done. Everyone has their journey to get there. I have my journey to get through the ranking system to get through certain people. He had his way, Kelvin had his way. It's like a race. I love that matchup because I know his style. He's outclassing all these guys because they're not dynamic strikers," Uriah Hall told Jame Lynch.
While reflecting upon his UFC career, Uriah Hall attributed many of his losses to non-favorable matchups that he did not want to take. He drew attention to politics in the sport of MMA and believes that it is the only thing standing between him and Israel Adesanya.
"I just personally feel that style makes so much sense. It's the style I want. Unfortunately the politics is in the way. You have to be kind of those 'yes sir' right now. In my younger days you can't really say no to the UFC. X amount of fights I didn't want to do I had to say yes... Most of these fights I lost becasue I didn't want to. I'm not making excuses but I just know the times I am going to show up," Uriah Hall said.
Uriah Hall is currently ranked at No. 9 in the UFC's middleweight rankings. His last fight was a fourth-round TKO win over UFC legend Anderson Silva in October 2020. Hall is expected to fight former champion Chris Weidman at UFC 261 in April 2021.
Uriah Hall was supposed to be what Israel Adesanya became
Long before Israel Adesanya became a professional MMA fighter, Uriah Hall was considered the future of UFC's middleweight division. With a dynamic striking game and unparalleled finishing ability, Hall grabbed the attention of the MMA community during his appearance on Season 17 of The Ultimate Fighter.
But despite a formidable skillset, Uriah Hall fell short of expectations and never quite achieved his full potential. He is criticized for being too hesitant to pull off the trigger which has cost him many big fights. Hall is currently riding a three-fight winning streak and a win over Chris Weidman can put him in the discussion for a fight against top-ranked fighters.