"A lot of people are sleeping on me" - Israel Adesanya believes it may be time to showcase his offensive grappling
Israel Adesanya is determined to showcase his offensive grappling prowess in his upcoming matches in the UFC.
In a recent appearance on talkSPORT, the reigning UFC middleweight champion explained how he displayed his defensive grappling during his last fight with Robert Whittaker at UFC 271. However, 'The Last Stylebender' felt that it was time to exhibit his offensive grappling arsenal:
"Always, I'm always improving my grappling, even my stand-up, I'm always improving... I showed some of my grappling prowess in the defensive manner my last fight. But I think it is time to start to be offensive with my grappling because a lot of people are sleeping on me and I'm telling you man, when I shoot for a takedown that might be the easiest takedown ever landed in the UFC because no one's gonna expect it from me."
Watch Israel Adesanya's full interaction with talkSPORT below:
Israel Adesanya recently defeated Robert Whittaker in a highly anticipated rematch at UFC 271. 'The Last Stylebender' won the fight via a unanimous decision.
#UFC271The @StyleBender reigns supreme đź‘‘ #UFC271 https://t.co/NggdkkWrjj
Israel Adesanya shares his thoughts on Robert Whittaker post win at UFC 271
During the same interview, 'The Last Stylebender' reflected on his victory over Robert Whittaker at UFC 271.
Adesanya was of the view that Whittaker has gotten better since the last time they met at UFC 243. However, the middleweight champ opined that 'The Reaper' was still not on his level:
“The fight was, for me, not what I wanted it to be. The way I beat him the first time - I annihilated him, so I expected to do better the second time. Even though he has gotten better, I still think he wasn’t on my level and I showed that on the night. But yeah, I haven’t watched it back yet, I will soon."
#UFC271The belt stays with the @Stylebender 🏆 #UFC271 https://t.co/Acjey9LohJ
Adesanya's next opponent will most likely be Jared Cannonier, who is fresh off a second-round demolition of Derek Brunson at UFC 271. 'The Killa Gorilla' is the most deserving of the candidates and Adesanya is also quite keen to fight him, possibly in June.