"It's opposite of my fighting style" - Jiri Prochazka hails the "mastery" that Israel Adesanya brought to the octagon at UFC 276

Israel Adesanya vs. Jared Cannonier (left) and Jiri Prochazka (right) [Images courtesy: @stylebender and @jirkaprochazka on Instagram]

One of the most highly anticipated match cards of the year took place at UFC 276 in Las Vegas and was headlined by middleweight champion Israel Adesanya. Among the notable fighters present in the audience was light heavyweight champion Jiri Prochazka.

The main event was a battle for the middleweight title where champion Israel Adesanya dominated Jared Cannonier from start to finish. Prochazka, who recently won his title after beating Glover Teixeira at UFC 275, was amazed at 'The Last Stylebender's' victory. He said,

"Amazing performance, amazing performance. I heard the people in the arena but f*** man, that was mastery. I think it was the opposite of my fighting style, maybe of my last fight. I'm still very lucky for this full control of the fighting. That fight I liked a lot."

Adesanya has been splendid since joining the UFC, with his sole loss coming against former light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz. However, the 32-year old has taken down every contender in the middleweight division since winning the title in 2019.

Israel Adesanya admits having an "off-night" against Cannonier at UFC 276

Despite the win, Adesanya was not too pleased with his performance at UFC 276. The decision went in favor of the champion, but he believes that this win ranks among the lowest in his recent fights, saying:

“I’ve said before in the past: on my worst, I could kill the best man. I call that suicide. So on my worst day, on an off-night… I had an off-night tonight. Eugene [Bareman] told me the people who really know you — my teammates, my family — they knew you had an off-night. And still. I still f***ed him up.”

The @Stylebender reigns supreme #AndStill 👑 #UFC276 https://t.co/cN507JFtLL

Brazilian newcomer Alex Pereira could well be next in line to face Israel Adesanya after his stunning win over Sean Strickland. Pereira has won all three fights since entering the octagon, but is more famously known for knocking out Adesanya in a kickboxing match in 2016.

Will Adesanya avenge the defeat over his former rival in the UFC?