Tag: Israel Adesanya

Former UFC Champion Wants To Fight ‘Fake’ Israel Adesanya If He Ever Returns

In 2021, former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley departed the UFC to explore the next phase of his career. Four consecutive losses inside the Octagon brought an end to his 16-fight run with the promotion which saw him win the title at 170-pounds and record three title defenses, four if you count the draw in […]

In 2021, former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley departed the UFC to explore the next phase of his career. Four consecutive losses inside the Octagon brought an end to his 16-fight run with the promotion which saw him win the title at 170-pounds and record three title defenses, four if you count the draw in his first fight with Stephen Thompson.

“The Chosen One” then went into boxing where he became the second major name from MMA to face Jake Paul in the ring. After losing a split decision in their first encounter, he was then knocked out in a rematch in December of 2018.

Woodley has not returned to competition since then but he has spoken about substantial offers that he has regularly received to dust off the gloves for one last dance. In a recent interview with Plejmo, the former champion spoke about who he would want to share the Octagon with if he did ever make a return to the UFC.

The 42-year old said that there’s one current star in the promotion in particular who is in and around his weight class that he would like to lock horns with. Woodley went on to voice his opinions regarding the former two-time UFC champion Israel Adesanya who he believes is “fake”.

“I never thought about going back, but now when I look at the UFC, there’s not that many stars. Alex Pereira is a beast. He’s a big-ass 205 pounder, so I can’t see myself getting in there with him. Israel Adesanya is a fighter I would definitely fight. I’m not a huge fan of his. I just don’t like people that are just fake. He was conveniently African. Before that he was UK. Before then, he was like an avatar breakdancing guy.  The UFC needs some star power in there. There’s a lot of fighters that are kind of in my class of fighting that’s still fighting in the UFC. Some of those fights would be kind of cool.”

Report – Israel Adesanya vs. Nassourdine Imavov in the works for Fight Night card in Saudi Arabia on Feb. 1

Report - Israel Adesanya vs. Nassourdine Imavov in the works for Fight Night card in Saudi Arabia on Feb. 1Israel Adesanya is back! According to a report from knockoutalerts on Instagram, a scrap between ‘The Last Stylebender’ and…

Report - Israel Adesanya vs. Nassourdine Imavov in the works for Fight Night card in Saudi Arabia on Feb. 1

Israel Adesanya is back!

According to a report from knockoutalerts on Instagram, a scrap between ‘The Last Stylebender’ and Nassourdine Imavov is in the works to headline the UFC’s second event in Saudi Arabia on February 1. MMAMania.com’s Alex Behunin confirmed that Adesanya vs. Imavov is the planned main event for the promotion’s return to Riyadh, though he noted that contracts have not yet been signed.

Adesanya will be coming off back-to-back losses for the first time in his mixed martial arts career, suffering a decisive decision defeat against Sean Strickland at UFC 293 before falling in the fourth round against Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 305 in August.

The ‘Stylebender’ has competed in 12 straight UFC championship bouts dating back to April 2019. If his clash with Imavov does come to fruition, it will be Adesanya’s first non-title fight since a win over Anderson Silva at UFC 234.

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Imavov gunning for the biggest win of his career against Israel Adesanya

Since a loss to Sean Strickland in January 2023, Imavov has been on a roll, scoring a trio of wins against Roman Dolidze, Jared Cannonier, and Brendan Allen. Overall, the ‘Russian Sniper’ is 15-4 in his mixed martial arts career and currently sits as the No. 5 ranked middleweight contender in the UFC.

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A victory over Adesanya would undoubtedly be the biggest of his career, thrusting him toward the top of the contender’s list and setting the stage for his first shot at UFC gold.

Thus far, four other bouts have been lined up for the UFC’s return to Saudi Arabia. They include:

  • Ikram Aliskerov vs. Andre Muniz
  • Sergei Pavlovich vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik
  • Hamdy Abdelwahab vs. Jamal Pogues
  • Shara Magomedov vs. Michael Page
  • Jasmine Jasudavicius vs. Mayra Bueno Silva
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VIDEO: Israel Adesanya Applauds Jon Jones Performance During UFC 309 Live Reaction

Former two-time UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya appeared impressed while watching Jon Jones send Stipe Miocic into retirement with a brutal kick this past weekend. Jones and Miocic headlined Saturday’s UFC 309 pay-per-view inside Madison Square Garden in New York City, completing their long-awaited matchup over a year on from an injury shelving it first […]

Former two-time UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya appeared impressed while watching Jon Jones send Stipe Miocic into retirement with a brutal kick this past weekend.

Jones and Miocic headlined Saturday’s UFC 309 pay-per-view inside Madison Square Garden in New York City, completing their long-awaited matchup over a year on from an injury shelving it first time around.

Returning from a spell on the sidelines that spanned over three and a half years, many dismissed Miocic’s chances of unseating Jones and adding a third heavyweight reign to his illustrious record.

And the veteran ultimately failed in his pursuit of proving them wrong, with “Bones” following a dominant opening round by eventually finding the finish in the third frame with a vicious spinning side kick to the body.

In spite of many focusing on his avoidance of Tom Aspinall, Jones’ latest triumph on MMA’s biggest stage drew widespread plaudits, including from some UFC peers whom he’s not always seen eye to eye with…

During a video recently uploaded to his FREESTYLEBENDER YouTube channel, Adesanya reacted live to the events that unfolded on the UFC 309 main card at MSG.

The Nigerian-New Zealander didn’t have much to say during the finishing sequence in the headliner, instead simply applauding Jones’ work.

“He did it, as he does,” Adesanya said. “Great main event. … Good to see Stipe hang them up. I still think he went out on top.”

He was subsequently asked the question on everyone’s lips — will a unification fight with Aspinall happen?

“I think it’ll happen. If Jones is not retiring, I think they’ll figure it out,” Adesanya said. “Talk to Hunter (Campbell), talk to Dana (White)…sit down in the War Room, they’ll hash it out, they’ll figure it out.”

While Jones initially appeared to tease a stance switch inside the Octagon when he suggested he could give the masses what they want, he quickly reverted back to dismissing Aspinall and expressing a desire to face Alex Pereira when he arrived backstage.

Israel Adesanya Sees Quick End for Jon Jones vs Stipe Miocic Bout, Two-Round Finish

Israel Adesanya Sees Quick End for Jon Jones vs Stipe Miocic Bout, Two-Round FinishIsrael Adesanya thinks Jon Jones gets the job done at UFC 309. Jones’ return to the Octagon this Saturday…

Israel Adesanya Sees Quick End for Jon Jones vs Stipe Miocic Bout, Two-Round Finish

Israel Adesanya thinks Jon Jones gets the job done at UFC 309.

Jones’ return to the Octagon this Saturday night inside Madison Square Garden will see him fight for just the second since before the COVID-19 pandemic caused a worldwide shutdown in March 2020. Following his quickfire submission victory over Ciryl Gane at UFC 285, ‘Bones’ will put his undisputed heavyweight title on the line against two-time titleholder Stipe Miocic — another fighter who’s been inactive for the last three-and-a-half years.

Jon Jones

While Jones vs. Miocic has been a fairly contentious fight for fans of the sport, and likely won’t amount to much in the grand scheme of things, it still presents and intriguing matchup between two of the greatest fighters of all time.

Offering his breakdown of the often-maligned main event via his YouTube channel, ‘The Last Stylebender’ started his assessment by looking back at Jones’ spectacular heavyweight debut 20 months ago.

“Jones lately looks better at heavyweight already,” Adesanya said. He has been taking this seriously, and again, the way he fights… like, bro, the Ciryl Gane fight was the one that made me go, ‘Yeah, nah, he’s the best.’ Cause I thought Ciryl Gane was gonna give him some trouble. Ciryl was like the new-age heavyweight, and Jones was like, ‘Hold my beer,’ and he just… sneakily, none of us knew—even DC was like, ‘What did he catch him with?’ It was like a sneaky front choke. The guy is just crafty, creative with what he does.”

Israel Adesanya predicts an early night for jon jones

Of course, you can never count out a tough-as-nails scrapper like Stipe Miocic. After all, the Cleveland native is the only man in UFC history to hold the heavyweight title on two separate occasions. He’s also the only one to defend it three consecutive times, defeating Alistair Overeem, Junior dos Santos, and Francis Ngannou in the process.

“But with Stipe… Stipe is tough,” Adesanya said. “He can outwork a lot of heavyweights. You’ve seen what he’s done in the past, you’ve seen his reign as a heavyweight. He’s knocked people out, submitted people. But in this fight, man, I think he’s up against it.”

Jon Jones

But even after glazing Miocic, the ‘Stylebender’ is riding with ‘Bones’ to get the job done inside the world’s most famous arena.

“I’m gonna pick Jon Jones,” Adesanya added. “I’m gonna pick it by maybe the second or first—yeah, first two rounds, he’s gonna finish him. But again, this is fighting—sh*t happens. It could just be a zig-zag, boom. If Stipe gets it done, it will be the biggest upset in UFC history. If he gets it done… and that should be motivation enough for him to wanna get it done, yeah.

“I’m gonna go Jon Jones within the first two rounds. I don’t know if it’s gonna be a knockout or a submission, but I feel like Jon might try and enjoy this and soak this up.”

Jon Jones

Israel Adesanya Makes His Pick For Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic At UFC 309

Former UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya believes this weekend’s curtain-closer between Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic will reach a conclusion well inside the five-round distance. Jones and Miocic have renewed hostilities a year on from their first failed attempt at sharing the cage. That bout set for Madison Square Garden fell through owing to an […]

Continue Reading Israel Adesanya Makes His Pick For Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic At UFC 309 at MMA News.

Former UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya believes this weekend’s curtain-closer between Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic will reach a conclusion well inside the five-round distance.

Jones and Miocic have renewed hostilities a year on from their first failed attempt at sharing the cage. That bout set for Madison Square Garden fell through owing to an injury on the side of the heavyweight kingpin.

And despite that setting the stage for Tom Aspinall to achieve interim champ status, the title won’t be unified next, as “Bones” has instead kept his sights on welcoming Miocic back to the Octagon after a near-four-year layoff.

Given the veteran’s age and lengthy stint on the sidelines, which followed a brutal knockout loss to Francis Ngannou, not many are giving the Ohio native a chance of ripping the gold from Jones’ grasp at UFC 309.

And that includes a man who hasn’t always seen eye-to-eye with the Rochester native…

During a video recently uploaded to his FREESTYLEBENDER YouTube channel, Adesanya provided a brief breakdown of both UFC 309 headliners before making his prediction.

While “The Last Stylebender” praised Miocic’s toughness and past stints with the heavyweight crown in his possession, he went as far as to suggest that a victory for the challenger would mark the “biggest upset” the Octagon has seen.

“Jones lately looks better at heavyweight already. He’s been taking it seriously,” Adesanya said. “The Ciryl Gane fight was the one that made me go, ‘Yeah, he’s the best.’ I thought Ciryl Gane was going to give him some trouble, and Ciryl was the new-age heavyweight. Jones was like, ‘Hold on there.’ … The guy’s just crafty, creative with what he does.

“But with Stipe, Stipe is tough. He can outwork a lot of heavyweights. You’ve seen what he’s done in the past, you’ve seen his reign as a heavyweight. … But in this fight, man, I think he’s up against it,” Adesanya continued. “I’m going to pick Jon Jones….first two rounds, he’s going to finish him. … If Stipe gets it done, it will be the biggest upset in UFC history.”

Miocic will look to prove Adesanya wrong and deliver a major shock in “The Big Apple.”

In doing so, he’d likely return to the heavyweight throne in an even more shocking fashion than his redemption against Daniel Cormier back in 2019.

Continue Reading Israel Adesanya Makes His Pick For Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic At UFC 309 at MMA News.

Michael ‘Venom’ Page Offers To Fight Shara Magomedov: ‘Leave My Boy Izzy Alone!’

UFC welterweight contender Michael “Venom” Page is willing to move up in weight for a striking battle with Shara Magomedov. Magomedov was among the biggest winners to emerge from this past weekend’s UFC 308 pay-per-view in Abu Dhabi, where he opened the main card against a fellow striking specialist in Armen Petrosyan. After a competitive […]

Continue Reading Michael ‘Venom’ Page Offers To Fight Shara Magomedov: ‘Leave My Boy Izzy Alone!’ at MMA News.

UFC welterweight contender Michael “Venom” Page is willing to move up in weight for a striking battle with Shara Magomedov.

Magomedov was among the biggest winners to emerge from this past weekend’s UFC 308 pay-per-view in Abu Dhabi, where he opened the main card against a fellow striking specialist in Armen Petrosyan.

After a competitive first round, “Bullet” produced an incredible highlight in the second, unloading a spinning double backfist to drop his Armenian counterpart for the knockout win.

The result moved Magomedov to 4-0 in the UFC, marked his third win since June, and paved the way for entry into the middleweight rankings at #14.

In the aftermath, the Dagestani made his plans to keep climbing the ladder clear with an ambitious callout of former two-time champion Israel Adesanya. Having not received a positive response, though, he may need to search elsewhere for his next challenge.

He might not have to look far, however.

One notable name has thrown their name into the hat, with longtime 170-pounder “MVP” offering to share the cage with Magomedov up at 185 pounds.

“Magomedov — he just fought, did the double spinning back [fist] knockout and then he called out my boy Izzy,” Page told MMA Fighting’s Mike Heck. “Mate, I’m at that weight right now. You don’t even have to wait too long. That one there, I’ll just take straight away just for the fun of it.

“I’m in shape now, ready to go. So that’s a good fight for me, I think. Just a nice stand up fight for everybody, just to come back to the game,” Page continued. “And like I said, leave my boy Izzy alone. He’s trying to get back to the belt, to the throne, so I’ll take his place.”

Page has gone 1-1 in his debut year competing under the UFC banner. Following his Bellator departure, the Brit got off to a strong start inside the Octagon by outpointing Kevin Holland at UFC 299 in Miami this past March.

But his charge toward title contention was narrowly stalled by Ian Garry when they met at UFC 303 during June’s International Fight Week in Las Vegas.

While “Venom” is currently without an opponent for his UFC return, he is keeping busy with a grappling match opposite former interim UFC champion Carlos Condit at Polaris 30 in London this weekend.

Continue Reading Michael ‘Venom’ Page Offers To Fight Shara Magomedov: ‘Leave My Boy Izzy Alone!’ at MMA News.