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Stars from UFC, PFL and beyond break down the UFC 248 main event title clash between Israel Adesanya and Yoel Romero, as well as the co-main event title bout between Weili Zhang and Joanna Jedrzejczyk.
Mixed martial arts (MMA) fighters from Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), Professional Fight League (PFL) and beyond break down Israel Adesanya vs. Yoel Romero and Weili Zhang vs. Joanna Jedrzejczyk in SBN MMA’s UFC 248 edition of “Fighters Pick Fights.”
You can watch the full video above and read excerpts below:
Israel Adesanya vs. Yoel Romero:
Diego Sanchez
“This is a hard one to call. It could go either way. Adesanya will find so many different ways to knock out out or hurt you. Romero is Romero. He is on a mission … I feel like this his last go for the title. I’ve got to lean to Romero pulling it out with his explosive powerful strikes. It doesn’t matter how good of a kick boxer you are. If that guy hits you, you are going to feel it. Also that incredible wrestling. Romero is probably the best wrestler in MMA. Him or Khabib. Yoel probably number one. Khabib probably number two. I think this is a destiny thing and I feel like Romero takes it. It’s his time.”
Beneil Dariush
“I’m thinking Israel Adesanya. I think he just outlasts him. I think it’ll be a five-round fight.”
Max Griffin
“I’ve got ‘Stylebender’ man. He’s real crafty. He’s real crafty. I know Yoel is good but ‘Stylebender’ is too crafty, he is too slick. I don’t know if he will put Romero away, but he will beat him. You know what? He will put him away.”
Drakkar Klose
“The UFC can’t have Israel lose so I’m going with Israel.”
Weili Zhang vs. Joanna Jedrzejczyk:
Andrea Lee
“I’m excited about that one. I’m thinking Joanna because she is very hard to takedown and her striking is incredible. I know Weili is strong and she is exciting. She is being dominated, but I think Joanna is a very dominant fighter too. There is always room for an upset.”
Jimmie Rivera
“I mean Joanna is tough but Zhang came out of there. I don’t even know how to pronounce her name but I think she’s got it.”
Sarah Kaufman
“For Weili Zhang, she has been incredible. I haven’t seen a lot of her fights — because I don’t watch every single fight — but I kept hearing she had these incredible performances. Then she came in and starched Andrade and it was pretty phenomenal. So calm, so composed, so much precision. I think Joanna might be a little bit longer in terms of her reach, so that may play a bit of a facter. Andrade is quite shorter and shorter arms. I think at the end of the day Weili is going to be the champ for a little while.”
Alexa Grasso
“Oh no, don’t ask me this one! I’m a huge fan of Joanna, but honestly Zhang impressed me. I wish Joanna can be the champion again.”
(Author’s Note: Some quotes have been condensed for concision and clarity.)
Timestamps are below for the video above …
Israel Adesanya vs. Yoel Romero:
0:30 – Diego Sanchez
3:28 – Beneil Dariush
3:37 – Drakkar Klose
3:47 – Max Griffin
4:08 – John Dodson
4:38 – Justin Tafa
Weili Zhang vs. Joanna Jedrzejczyk:
4:45 – Andrea Lee
5:26 – Jimmie Rivera
5:35 – Sarah Kaufman
6:18 – Alex Perez
6:39 – Alexa Grasso
6:59 – Kajan Johnson
8:01 – Nicco Montano
8:21 – Jordan Espinosa
9:13 – Kevin Aguilar
9:41 – Trevin Giles
Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 248 fight card this weekend right here, starting with the Fight Pass/ESPN+ “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. ET, then the remaining undercard balance on ESPN at 8 p.m. ET, before the PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
To check out the latest and greatest UFC 248: “Adesanya vs. Romero” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.