"I think it's a cakewalk" - Dan Hooker shares his prediction for Israel Adesanya vs Jared Cannonier
Dan Hooker does not believe his teammate and middleweight champion Israel Adesanya will face any difficulty defeating Jared Cannonier at UFC 276.
'The Hangman' weighed in on the main event of the UFC's July 2 card. During an interview with Submission Radio, Hooker praised Adesanya, saying it was hard for other fighters to catch him with a clean shot.
The New Zealander added that, according to him, 'The Last Stylebender' would comfortably beat Cannonier in the UFC 276 main event.
"He's [Israel Adesanya] just too quick for you. He's just built different for that weight class. He's not gonna stand there and trade shots with you. That's what these other guys have been successful in. Anyone can show their power if the guys' not moving but the way Israel moves, the speed, the length, it's just too much... I think it's a cakewalk.
"That's my honest opinion of the fight. I just don't see a way that Cannonier can get it done."
You can watch the full Dan Hooker interview with Submission Radio below:
Hooker is going through a tough time in the UFC. 'The Hangman' has managed to secure only one win in his last five outings. In his most recent fight, Hooker moved down to featherweight. But the decision did not fare well as he was TKO'd by Arnold Allen in the very first round.
Max Holloway believes Israel Adesanya and Alexander Volkanovski have similar fighting styles
According to Max Holloway, there are a lot of similarities in the way Alexander Volkanovski and Israel Adesanya fight.
During a chat with 'Morning Kombat', Holloway said that both fighters were smart with their gameplans for a fight. 'Blessed' complimented Adesanya and Volkanovski, saying the two fighters were the standouts in the City Kickboxing gym.
"I just think their gameplanning is great. I mean you look at him, you look at Izzy, there's two guys that are actually doing well... Izzy and Alex, it's almost like they're the same fighter.
"They just kind of touch, touch, touch, and Izzy actually has the power or the timing or whatever you want to call it where he puts somebody down and he gets the finish but the top two standouts of that crew, they're smart, they know how to play the system, they'll touch you here, touch you there and get away."
Watch Holloway's interview with 'Morning Kombat' below:
Holloway will take on Volkanovski in the co-main event of UFC 276. This will be the third time the two featherweights will share an octagon. The first two encounters were won by 'The Great' via decision.
After two controversial decisions, Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway step into the octagon for the third time at UFC 276. 🥊
Can either fighter keep it out of the judge's hands this time? https://t.co/0M3VmDn7cI