"Izzy did what he had to do" - Sean O'Malley disagrees with Michael Chandler's comments on Israel Adesanya
Adesanya beat Whittaker via KO in 2019. Their rematch witnessed Adesanya win via unanimous decision in a closely-contested showdown at UFC 271 earlier this month. UFC lightweight Chandler later criticized Adesanya and tweeted:
“Trust me, I love Izzy. But we have gotten to a point where a dominant champ just needs to stand there, throw a few shots per round and he will not lose unless he gets caught & he will always get the nod. Izzy got paid on this last contract...go FIGHT, don’t you dare spar. #UFC271”
Trust me, I love Izzy. But we have gotten to a point where a dominant champ just needs to stand there, throw a few shots per round and he will not lose unless he gets caught&he will always get the nod. Izzy got paid on this last contract...go FIGHT, don’t you dare spar. #UFC271
On The BrOMalley Show, Sean O’Malley asserted that he disagrees with Chandler’s views. ‘Suga’ said:
“I think he’s doing what he has to f**king do to win. He’s fighting some of these guys for the second time. ‘Izzy’ is going to beat you if you can’t get inside and land shots; land a big shot that’s going to change the whole fight.” O’Malley added, “Why risk it if he knows he can beat you that way?"
‘Suga’ noted that either landing a massive fight-altering strike or securing a takedown and controlling Israel Adesanya on the mat, as Jan Blachowicz did, are the only ways to beat ‘The Last Stylebender.’
O’Malley noted that while former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva finished opponents in style, the level of competition is much tougher today. This is why Adesanya was unable to finish Whittaker this time. Lauding Adesanya for his stunning performance, he added:
“I think ‘Izzy’ did what he had to do. And I f**king, I don’t know; it was calm, nasal breathing the whole fight. F**king Robert Whittaker took his back. Calm. Calm under pressure.”
Watch ‘Suga’ address Chandler’s comments regarding Israel Adesanya in the video below:
Anthony Smith believes Robert Whittaker did enough to beat Israel Adesanya at UFC 271
Anthony Smith recently appeared on Michael Bisping’s Believe You Me podcast. He opined that he feels Whittaker should’ve been awarded the decision victory. Smith explained:
"First round, clearly Adesanya. I don't think that there's too much debate there. I think the fifth round was clearly Robert Whittaker. I think two was the swing round, you could go either way. I can see the argument for both. But three I thought was clearly Whittaker.”
‘Lionheart’ added that Adesanya came on strong towards the end of round three. However, that shouldn’t have been enough to score it in his favor. He indicated that round 4 also belonged to Whittaker. Presently, it’s unclear as to whom Whittaker will fight next. Meanwhile, Adesanya has hinted at defending his title against Jared Cannonier in June.