Israel Adesanya feels it's "idiotic" for people to think he became champ with only his kickboxing - "I even take inspiration from someone like Francis"
Israel Adesanya has hit back at those who claim his UFC championship status is excessively reliant on his kickboxing background and impeccable overall striking skills.
Speaking to Niko Pajarillo of Fox Sports Australia, Adesanya harked back to his friend – renowned striker and UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou – using wrestling to beat Ciryl Gane at UFC 270 in January. On that note, he highlighted that he draws inspiration from Ngannou.
Naija stand up! HE'S DONE IT!
@Stylebender finishes Whittaker in the 2nd round! Wow! #UFC243 https://t.co/IS1f8lL8Lt
Adesanya insinuated that he intends to show off his clinching, grappling, and overall MMA skills in his upcoming rematch against Robert Whittaker. When asked whether he intends to do so to prove to the world that he's superior in every facet of the MMA game, 'The Last Stylbender' stated:
“No. To prove to myself. And I even take inspiration from someone like Francis; over the weekend, down two-nil, had to rally up the next three rounds to retain his belt. And he did so with wrestling; something that no one’s ever seen [from him] before.”
The 32-year-old further added:
“It’s really stupid. I think it’s idiotic because people think, ‘Okay, you’re a kickboxer. You’re a striker, this and that.’ If you think that’s all it takes to become a UFC world champion, how come all these boxers, how come all these kickboxers aren’t UFC world champions just doing that? No. You have to learn all aspects of the game. That’s why I humbled myself to learn jiu-jitsu, wrestling... I’m very well-versed in this game, and I find it really stupid people think I’m not, and think one thing got me to the dance.”
Watch Israel Adesanya's full interview with Fox Sports Australia below:
Michael Bisping on the weaknesses Robert Whittaker may have spotted in Israel Adesanya's game
Taking to his YouTube channel, Michael Bisping spoke about the purported weaknesses in Israel Adesanya’s MMA skill-set that Robert Whittaker has lately been alluding to. The former UFC champion believes that 'The Reaper' intends to follow Jan Blachowicz’s wrestling-heavy blueprint to beat Adesanya.
Adesanya was out-wrestled in the center of the octagon and beaten via unanimous decision when he moved up in weight to face then-UFC light heavyweight champion Blachowicz last March.
According to 'The Count':
"He's talking about takedowns in the middle of the octagon. That's what I really think. Because, against the fence, it's easier to defend the takedown... There's often hours and hours and hours of drilling against the fence, against a wall, drilling your takedown defense. Especially when you're the middleweight champion, and you're a fantastic kickboxer, people are gonna take you down."
Watch Michael Bisping's full take on Adesanya vs. Whittaker 2 below:
Israel Adesanya beat Robert Whittaker via second-round KO in their first fight at UFC 243 in October 2019. Their rematch will witness UFC middleweight champion Adesanya put his title on the line against Whittaker at UFC 271 on February 12th.
Time for the rematch 🍿 #UFC271 https://t.co/Wmxcl7GMVx