Watch: Israel Adesanya goes on a takedown spree as he prepares for title defense at UFC 276
Israel Adesanya is in training camp for his upcoming title defense against Jared Cannonier. 'The Last Stylebender' and 'The Killa Gorilla' will headline UFC 276 on July 2.
The UFC middleweight champion has been purely a striker, but recent footage shows him focusing on drilling takedowns.
#UFC276 officials were set earlier today, per an NSAC spokesperson.
Israel Adesanya vs. Jared Cannonier will be officiated by Herb Dean.
Alexander Volkanovski vs. Max Holloway 3 will be officiated by Marc Goddard. https://t.co/HUYK8nXp7U
Through 12 UFC fights, Adesanya has not landed a takedown once. Yet, the City Kickboxing product has dominated the middleweight division by becoming champion and clearing out most top contenders.
Cannonier, meanwhile, has won five out of his six fights, with four KO/TKOs, during that span. Adesanya is a world-class striker, but he undoubtedly needs to respect the power of 'The Killa Gorilla.' Despite his lack of grappling in the past, UFC 276 could showcase the champion's abilities on the ground.
During a video on his YouTube channel, Adesanya can be seen drilling takedowns during training. Seeing him working on his offensive grappling is not surprising, but the thought of him wrestling to victory against Cannonier is intriguing.
With that said, 'The Last Stylebender' may not need to grapple with striking as good as his.
Watch Israel Adesanya drilling takedowns below:
Israel Adesanya talks about City Kickboxing teammates 'lifting each other up'
In the training video, Adesanya can be seen putting work in at City Kickboxing in New Zealand. CKB is also a part-time training spot for featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski and upcoming flyweight title challenger Kai Kara-France.
The UFC is targeting a rematch between Brandon Moreno and Kai Kara-France for interim flyweight gold.
#UFC277 | Full story: bit.ly/3M2dfw0 https://t.co/OPhJaNOLUM
City Kickboxing continues to develop top-tier talent in the UFC. Their success most likely comes from the combination of elite training partners, but also a tight-nit group, which allows Eugene Bareman and the other coaches to focus on everyone.
During an interview on The Rock, Adesanya opened up about City Kickboxing by saying:
"Everyone's just leveling up, and it's synergy. You can just feel it, and with Volkanovski being at the gym now, the level even raised more."
Catch the full interview below:
City Kickboxing is slowly taking over the UFC. Other UFC fighters from the gym include Dan Hooker, Shane Young, Mike 'Blood Diamond' Mathetha, Brad Riddell, and Carlos Ulberg.
Three UFC champions would be an incredible accomplishment for City Kickboxing, even though two potential divisional GOATs are already enough.