Watch: Israel Adesanya planks with weights on back in intense strength and conditioning training ahead of Alex Pereira fight
UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya has given fans some insight into the intense work he's been putting into his strength and conditioning ahead of his UFC 281 fight against Alex Pereira.
Adesanya has rarely ever looked fatigued inside the octagon. His latest training video has shown how he's managed that by utilizing various drills with his coaches. 'The Last Stylebender' is looking to make his sixth successful title defense when he steps into the octagon to face his long-time rival 'Poatan' later this year.
Many fans and fighters consider Pereira a serious risk to Adesanya's title and undefeated middleweight run. The pair have a checkered history which dates back to their time as professional kickboxers. The Brazilian fought and defeated the New Zealander twice, winning the second fight via KO. That finish remains the only time 'Izzy' has ever been KO'd.
Watch Israel Adesanya's intense training here:
During the video, Adesanya's strength and conditioning coach Abiola Beckley detailed exactly what type of training 'Izzy' is undertaking during the grueling session:
"Today we just worked on the isometric modes, again we haven't even really started moving yet. We'll be doing explosive movements a little bit. We get him to hold isometic modes to get him to fire the muscles and the tension."
Chael Sonnen disagrees with Daniel Cormier and Henry Cejudo picking Alex Pereira to defeat Israel Adesanya
Former UFC fighter Chael Sonnen believes Daniel Cormier and Henry Cejudo were misinformed when it came to making their predictions for the UFC 281 main-event.
Both Cejudo and Cormier backed the Brazilian to defeat Israel Adesanya, but 'The American Gangster' has stated that their history in wrestling is clouding their judgment when it comes to boxing and kickboxing.
With all due respect to Israel Adesanya, I think Alex Pereira will knock him out at UFC 281. This matchup reminds me of the first time Max Holloway and Jose Aldo fought. Pereira is the better striker 🏆🏆🏆
📽️: youtube.com/c/HenryCejudoT… https://t.co/nMJQ7HI1Hx
The 45-year-old offered his take on the middleweight title bout and instead wanted to hear opinions from experts like Henri Hooft, who has trained fighters such as Kamaru Usman and Michael Chandler.
In a video uploaded to his YouTube channel, Sonnen said:
"Let me give you a quote from Daniel Cormier, first one I ever heard on this, 'If Pereira knocked out [Israel Adesanya] with the big gloves, Imagine the confidence Pereira's gonna have when they put on four-ounce gloves'... Pereira's gonna beat him. Pereira's the better striker. He proved that the last time they fought when he knocked him out... When I hear experts in the know, they're not trained kickboxers. They're not the group I wanna hear from. "
Catch the full YouTube video here: