"He sees things other people don't" - Israel Adesanya likened to boxing greats Terence Crawford and Roy Jones Jr. by esteemed coach Teddy Atlas
Israel Adesanya is set to face-off against Sean Strickland in the main event of UFC 293 this weekend, in what should be an interesting clash of styles.
'The Last Stylebender' is an immensely skilled counter-striker, constantly setting traps for his opponent to fall into. Whereas Strickland is a more one-dimensional striker who relies on a high output of strikes and unwavering pressure to overwhelm his opponents.
Ahead of their middleweight title clash, esteemed boxing coach Teddy Atlas has shared his thoughts on the matchup. Atlas compared Israel Adesanya's fighting style to boxing greats Terence Crawford and Roy Jones Jr., and said this:
"Roy Jones Jr. had those special qualities along those lines of Adesanya, where he created his own music. Where he could make wrong right. That's not easy, to make wrong, right. And what I mean by wrong, he definitely does not go by the boxing 101 playbook, or the striking playbook... But he makes it work, because he has tremendous timing, tremendous instincts, tremendous reflexes."
Atlas then continued:
"A little bit like a Terence Crawford in a cerebral way. Where he can slow things down in the cage. Where he can see things other people don't see. He saw that opening when Pereira was leading with the left hook. Don't lead with the left hook in front of somebody, you leave a hole, and [Adesanya] filled it with the right hand."
Watch the video below from 0:10:
Israel Adesanya will be making the first defense of his second reign as champion against Sean Strickland at UFC 293.
'The Last Stylebender' exacted revenge over Alex Pereira via second-round KO at UFC 287 to reclaim the 185 pound title, and became the first two-time middleweight champion in promotional history.
Israel Adesanya identifies how Sean Strickland could give him trouble at UFC 293
Israel Adesanya is currently a -650 favorite ahead of his UFC 293 clash with Sean Strickland.
Both men are known for their striking abilities, but Adesanya's skillset vastly outweighs that of his opponent, and many believe 'The Last Stylebender' will make short work of Strickland.
However, Israel Adesanya and his team are fully aware of the danger 'Tarzan' presents. During a recent interview, the middleweight king identified the biggest threat Sean Strickland poses to his crown:
"Eugene [Bareman] mentioned something about pressure, but I didn't even think of it as a threat, 'cause I know how to deal with that pressure. And again, pressure makes diamonds, I've been shining. But also, yeah, he knows if I don't take care of that then we'll have a hard time. But he knows I know how to take care of that, we know how to take care of that."
Watch the interview below from 6:00: