Adesanya didn’t hesitate to admit UFC 300 fighter and two time Olympic judo gold medalist Kayla Harrison could take him down if she wanted to.
Israel Adesanya is giving Kayla Harrison her due as an Olympic-caliber athlete, but that doesn’t mean he thinks she has what it takes to beat tough veteran Holly Holm at UFC 300.
Adesanya and fellow City Kickboxing fighter Dan Hooker took the time to break down the UFC 300 prelims and made picks for all the fights on the ESPN portion of the historic April 13 card. That includes Harrison vs. Holm at 135 pounds, which led the two men to discuss an old comment from Kayla during a PFL post-fight victory speech.
“How do you solve the Kayla Harrison puzzle? Spoiler alert! There is no freaking puzzle,” she declared after her 11th pro win in 2021. “I put you on your back and I mess you up. I told you one by one, they are all going to fall. You kept talking about scientists. ‘Oh, the scientists at City Kickboxing’ … Izzy couldn’t stop my takedowns!”
Probably true, according to Izzy.
“She could take me down. That’s fair. Look, that’s fair,” Adesanya said. “She’s a judo Olympian gold medalist or whatever, I probably couldn’t stop some of her takedowns.”
Hooker wasn’t convinced, asking “Yeah I mean come on, who has she fought?”
“The Hangman” believes Harrison doesn’t have the rounded MMA skillset to get past a crafty opponent like former champion Holly Holm.
“I don’t think she has the skills to close the distance on Holly, I don’t think she has the skills to push her against the fence and take her down,” Hooker said. “I think Holly Holm stays at distance and picks her apart for three rounds. Holly Holm decision, take it to the bank!”
“I don’t know but we’ll see see,” Adesanya replied. She might take her down. She’s really good at takedowns, you know that. You know she can take men down as well?”
But when it was time to make his final call, Adesanya agreed on who wins: “Holly.”
Will all the Kayla Harrison hype coming into UFC 300, the two time Olympic judo gold medalist is a whopping -450 favorite to +350 dog Holly Holm. That’s some pretty wide odds for someone who has never competed at 135 pounds taking on one of the most decorated women in combat sports history.