Khabib Nurmagomedov's fight-style the key to beating Israel Adesanya, claims UFC veteran
![Tim Kennedy (L) reveals key to defeat Israel Adesanya (R) [Image credits: @timkennedymma on instagram]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2022/06/59123-16565348104051-1920.jpg?w=500)
Former UFC star Tim Kennedy recently revealed what according to him would be key to defeating current middleweight champ Israel Adesanya.
In a recent episode of Thicc Boy's Food Truck Diaries, retired MMA artist Tim Kennedy sat down with host Brendan Schaub to discuss a variety of topics, including his recently released book and his life as an American soldier now.
In between conversations, the two talked about current middleweight champion Israel Adesanya. In his thoughts on the fighter, Kennedy stated that the only way to defeat him is to use "Khabib's style" of fighting.
He was referring to the UFC star's relentless fighting style, which primarily consists of a combination of Sambo, Judo, and Wrestling in the octagon.
This one-of-a-kind combination makes it extremely difficult for opponents to predict the next move as it puts them in situations for which they have not prepared.
Giving his take on Adesanya, the UFC veteran said:
"I watched him fight like, oh I could hit him right now. I could get inside like stylistically... He doesn't like to be in deep water, he likes to set the pace, he likes to control range."
He added:
"But the Khabib style of... you don't know if I'm gonna take you down. Maybe I'm gonna hit you with a big overhand right. As I change levels, maybe I'm gonna come in and push up against the cage...like nobody has done that to him."
You can check out the recent episode of the Food Truck Diaries below:
Israel Adesanya reveals his future goals in the sport
In a recent video uploaded to his YouTube channel, 'The Last Stylebender' listed some of the milestones he would like to achieve before retiring from MMA. The middleweight king revealed that he plans on moving up to light heavyweight in a bid to become a double champion.
Expressing his desire to move up divisions, 'The Last Stylebender' said:
“A lot. I mean, taking the 205 [light heavyweight] belt’s one. What else? Maybe a fight at heavyweight. Maybe, like, just for style reasons, just because I can.”
The Nigerian-born Kiwi also admitted that he wants to secure a few submission victories before retiring from the sport:
“Oh yeah, definitely. Get a submission. F**k yeah, I wanna choke some n***a out. So, for me, it’s all part of the – I wanna get a few submissions before I retire. I’m not trying to, but I just wanna make the opportunity present itself.
"But these boys keep dropping whenever I touch them. So, I’ll just make sure I, yeah, I’ll set it up nicely. I’m on my way. I catch it in the gym. I know what I can do.”
You can check out entire video of Israel Adesanya below:
At UFC 276, Israel Adesanya will defend his middleweight title for the fifth time against Jared Cannonier. The fight is scheduled for this Saturday at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.