"Izzy is the Floyd Mayweather of MMA" - Fans react to post saying Charles Oliveira's 3 title fights more exciting than Israel Adesanya's entire reign
![Israel Adesanya and Charles Oliveira [Image via @charlesdobronxs on Instagram]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2022/07/0181c-16577030779204-1920.jpg?w=500)
Fans have seemingly backed up Israel Adesanya after initially criticizing the middleweight champ's latest title defense against Jared Cannonier. An Instagram post reiterated a social media user named @based_Sfm's comment claiming Charles Oliveira's three (officially two) title fights are more exciting than Adesanya's entire title reign.
Oliveira’s 3 title fights are way more memorable than Adesanya’s entire title reign
While fans lauded Oliveira's style, they found the criticism of Adesanya to be too harsh. @go4_harley came to the middleweight champion's defense, hailing him as the 'Floyd Mayweather of MMA'. He wrote:
"People say Izzy is boring but never get on his opponents for not doing better. I agree that Olives is exciting as f***. But Izzy is the Floyd Mayweather of MMA. Defensive genius, and his footwork and minor movements are next level."
Others noted that Oliveira is likely to take more damage than Adesanya, which might cut short his title reign.
Israel Adesanya knocked out Robert Whittaker in front of the Australian's home crowd to be crowned the undisputed middleweight champ in 2019. 'The Last Stylebender' was widely criticized for inaction in his first title defense against Yoel Romero, which he won via unanimous decision.
Adesanya then shut his detractors up with a dominant second-round TKO win over Paulo Costa. Since then, 'The Last Stylebender' has successfully defended his title against Marvin Vettori, Robert Whittaker, and Jared Cannonier, albeit without a finish.
Meanwhile, Oliveira scored a second-round comeback TKO win over Michael Chandler to win the vacant lightweight strap in May last year. 'do Bronx' scored a third-round submission win over Dustin Poirier in his first title defense at UFC 269 in December. The Brazilian followed it up with a first-round submission win over Justin Gaethje, although he was stripped of his title ahead of the bout.
Israel Adesanya compares himself to Floyd Mayweather, among other legends
Israel Adesanya's latest title defense against Jared Cannonier was considered lackluster by many. Hollywood actor Chris Pratt also joined the band of Adesanya's critics, although he later apologized for his comments.
Adesanya seemed dismissive of public opinion in the immediate aftermath of the event. 'The Last Stylebender' puts himself on the same pedestal as legends like Floyd Mayweather, Muhammad Ali, and Anderson Silva, among others, when it comes to being criticized for inaction. The UFC middleweight champ said during the UFC 276 post-fight presser:
"F*** them. They’ve been here since 3 p.m., they’re all drunk, they don’t know what real fighting is. I’ve said this, the greats, they all get to this point. 'GSP', people would boo him, and I’m like, ‘What the f*** are you guys watching? You dumb f****.' [Muhammad] Ali, Floyd Mayweather, same thing. You get to this point where, like, you’re so great, people just want to see you fall."
Watch Adesanya's appearance at the post-fight scrum below: