"He was in danger because I rocked him" - Israel Adesanya claims he never felt in danger during Jan Blachowicz fight
Israel Adesanya says he never felt any serious threat during his light heavyweight title clash with Jan Blachowicz at UFC 259 back in March last year.
In a bid to become a two-division UFC champion, Adesanya moved up a weight class to challenge Blachowicz. In doing so, 'The Last Stylebender' suffered the first defeat of his MMA career, succumbing to a unanimous decision loss against the Polish champion.
The striking exchanges in the first three rounds were surprisingly competitive. Blachowicz, however, managed to take Adesanya down and keep him there in the later rounds to come away with a unanimous decision victory.
Jan Blachowicz UPSETS Israel Adesanya and hands him his first career loss 🤯
#UFC259
(via @ufc)
https://t.co/YOPdKWnc7n
During a recent interview with Brett Okamoto, Adesanya spoke about his loss to Blachowicz. Giving the Polish fighter due credit for using his vast experience and size advantage to pick up the win, Adesanya said he never felt like he was in danger in the fight.
Adesanya claimed it was Blachowicz who shied away from trading shots on the feet because he was apparently rocked by the Nigerian-born Kiwi's shots and was aware of the knockout power he possesses. He also pointed out that he didn't absorb much damage either, saying:
"Where in that fight did I actually get hurt? I mean he beat me you know, guaranteed, I know some people don't agree but I think he beat me just. But where in that fight did I actually get hurt? I never felt in danger once in that fight. He was in danger because I rocked him. He even admitted it and he felt my power but where in that fight was that actually hurt? I never felt in danger once."
Watch Adesanya's interview with Brett Okamoto below:
Robert Whittaker claims Jan Blachowicz provided him with the blueprint to beat Israel Adesanya
Israel Adesanya is set to defend the middleweight title in a rematch against Robert Whittaker in the main event of UFC 271 this weekend. The event is set to take place at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas.
The middleweight duo first locked horns at UFC 243 in 2019 at the Marvel Stadium in Australia, where Adesanya won via KO in the second round.
The last time Israel Adesanya fought Robert Whittaker he produced a flawless victory 🤯 #UFC271 (via @SnatchinSnacks)
https://t.co/7xM0mw8gih
This time around, Whittaker believes Jan Blachowicz has provided him with a blueprint to defeat 'The Last Stylebender'. In an interview with MMA Junkie, Whittaker said:
"I think Jan [Blachowicz] set a blueprint on how to beat him [Israel Adesanya]."
Having said that, Whittaker is aware that he isn't as big as Blachowicz and needs to further adjust his game to beat Adesanya this Saturday.
Watch Robert Whittaker's interview with MMA Junkie below: