Israel Adesanya explains why his striking skillset is better suited for MMA than kickboxing - "I'm too calculated and smart for that"
Israel Adesanya is extremely accomplished in the world of MMA as well as kickboxing. Having won titles in both fields, it would be fair to call him a striking expert.
Adesanya is nearing the end of his preparation for arguably the biggest fight of his combat sports career. The middleweight champion will take on Alex Pereira for the 185-pound title at UFC 281 on November 12. His opponent is the only man to boast two victories over Adesanya, albeit in kickboxing.
Given this, much of the talk has revolved around both fighters' striking abilities. While being interviewed by TMZ Sports, Israel Adesanya admitted that his striking skills are far better suited for MMA than kickboxing:
"The way you attack is different, it's kind of stupid sometimes. No disrespect to kickboxing or some of the styles. But I feel like sometimes they fight aggression with aggression. And it's not always the best way to fight. I'm too calculated and smart for that. I always felt my style of striking was better suited for MMA. For the glove size but also the freeness of attack"
Watch the video below from 2:20:
Israel Adesanya believes that the pace he will set against Alex Pereira will break him
Israel Adesanya is less than a week away from his title fight against Alex Pereira at UFC 281.
Pereira currently boasts two victories in kickboxing over 'The Last Stylebender' and hopes to continue his dominance over Adesanya in MMA. However, there are a multitude of differences between the two combat sports. Factors such as the length of each round being two minutes longer in MMA could affect his cardio.
In Israel Adesanya's opinion, his opponent won't be able to sustain the work rate that 'The Last Stylebender' is going to set during this fight. Whilst talking to The AllStar about the upcoming fight, Adesanya said:
"He's [Pereira] not gonna last. You've seen me objectively.... I'm ready to go f***ing 45 minutes. If this fight has to go each round, 'til someone falls, trust me I know who's gonna stand... I think it's gonna be a high pace. He's not gonna be able to keep that high pace. In the first round you're gonna see him start to fold."
Watch the video below from 9:55: