Tag: Israel Adesanya

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 […]

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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.

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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 […]

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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.

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Shara Magomedov Adds 3 Names To Hit List After Israel Adesanya Callout At UFC 308

Former two-time UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya isn’t the only prominent name Shara Magomedov has his eye on following this past weekend’s event. Magomedov made a splash in his latest Octagon outing on Saturday in Abu Dhabi. In his third fight since June, the Dagestani was tasked with opening the UFC 308 pay-per-view main card […]

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Former two-time UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya isn’t the only prominent name Shara Magomedov has his eye on following this past weekend’s event.

Magomedov made a splash in his latest Octagon outing on Saturday in Abu Dhabi. In his third fight since June, the Dagestani was tasked with opening the UFC 308 pay-per-view main card opposite a fellow striking specialist in Armen Petrosyan.

Both men had their moments through a round and a half, but it was “Bullet” who closed the show in memorable fashion before the second horn. He connected with an innovative spinning backfist to send his Armenian counterpart to the canvas.

While the heights he can rise to on MMA’s biggest stage remain unclear given his perceived grappling deficiencies, Magomedov has broken into the rankings this week and appears to be an entertaining addition to the middleweight top 15.

During his post-fight press conference at UFC 308, Magomedov called his shot for an opportunity to climb further up the ladder, reiterating his desire to meet Adesanya next time out.

Whether or not that ambitious request comes to fruition in 2025 remains to be seen. But should the promotion have other plans for “The Last Stylebender,” Magomedov isn’t short on alternative callouts.

“I’m in no rush. I’m not running in front of the train. The only way for Israel Adesanya to avoid the fight with me is to retire,” Magomedov said. “Of course I would like to fight Israel to prove that I’m the best striker in the division. But also, I would like to fight Marvin Vettori to prove that my wrestling is good. Those two names really excite me.

“Besides them, guys like Kevin Holland, Michel Pereira,” Magomedov continued. “Our middleweight division is full of predators and sharks, but I’m the only pirate.”

Vettori, a former title challenger, hasn’t competed since a decision defeat to Jared Cannonier in a June 2023 main event. He’s gone 2-2 across his last four, leaving him at #7 in the rankings.

Holland and Pereira, meanwhile, are coming off more recent setbacks, with “Trailblazer” injuring his rib against Roman Dolidze in Salt Lake City earlier this month and “Demolidor” suffering a convincing headline loss to Anthony Hernandez at the Apex on Oct. 19.

Be it against one of those names or a different middleweight entirely, all eyes will no doubt be on Magomedov’s next walk to the cage given the performance he put in at the Etihad Arena this past weekend.

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VIDEO: Israel Adesanya’s Live Reaction To Chimaev Dominantly Submitting Whittaker At UFC 308

Former two-time UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya reacted like most as Khamzat Chimaev forced a quick tap from Robert Whittaker this past weekend. After injuries and illness stalled his title plans at 185 pounds following a victory over Kamaru Usman in October 2023, Chimaev made his return 12 months on for the biggest Octagon outing […]

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Former two-time UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya reacted like most as Khamzat Chimaev forced a quick tap from Robert Whittaker this past weekend.

After injuries and illness stalled his title plans at 185 pounds following a victory over Kamaru Usman in October 2023, Chimaev made his return 12 months on for the biggest Octagon outing of his career to date.

Many were picking against “Borz” leading up to the UFC 308 pay-per-view in Abu Dhabi given the level of competition he was facing. But despite plenty backing former champ Whittaker to make it three wins from three in 2024, Chimaev streamrolled through “The Reaper.”

Having secured his usual fast takedown, Chimaev went to work on the ground and ultimately applied a brutal face crank. To the surprise of most, Whittaker tapped out almost immediately.

The Australian’s decision to do so was explained soon after when an image showed that the pressure from Chimaev’s hold had caved his front teeth in.

During a video recently uploaded to his FREESTYLEBENDER YouTube channel, Adesanya reacted live to the events that unfolded at Saturday’s PPV in Abu Dhabi, paying close attention as the undefeated Chimaev met his former two-time opponent.

Adesanya willed Whittaker on as he worked to escape Chimaev’s imposing wrestling, expressing shock at the sudden ending that came just over three and a half minutes into the very first round.

“There we go, told you. Straight away. You should know by now he’s going to shoot, but he’s so quick with it,” Adesanya said. “Good job Whitty. … What?! Already? Wow. That’s what I said, first or second round. Something (happened) with the jaw, that was just too quick. … F*ck, dislocated jaw from the pressure, that’s crazy.”

With Adesanya failing in his bid to regain the middleweight title in Perth, Australia this past August, he likely won’t be sharing the cage with Chimaev anytime soon.

Instead, “Borz” has his sights on Dricus Du Plessis, who won the belt from Sean Strickland at the start of 2024 before adding a defense to his reign at “The Last Stylebender’s” expense.

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Top-5 Middleweight Contender ‘In Talks’ For Israel Adesanya Fight At Sydney-Held UFC 312

Rising UFC middleweight contender Caio Borralho claims that talks are ongoing with the promotion regarding a potential showdown with former two-time champion Israel Adesanya. Adesanya returned to action close to a year on from his defeat to Sean Strickland this past August. After being shockingly unseated from the throne by “Tarzan,” the Nigerian-New Zealander was […]

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Rising UFC middleweight contender Caio Borralho claims that talks are ongoing with the promotion regarding a potential showdown with former two-time champion Israel Adesanya.

Adesanya returned to action close to a year on from his defeat to Sean Strickland this past August. After being shockingly unseated from the throne by “Tarzan,” the Nigerian-New Zealander was looking to achieve three-time status at the expense of Dricus Du Plessis.

The pair collided in the main event of UFC 305 at the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia, where the South African champ maintained his grip on the crown at 185 pounds thanks to a fourth-round submission.

“The Last Stylebender” was quick to dismiss any suggestion of a possible retirement in the aftermath, and it appears that his next outing could mark his third straight Down Under.

It was recently announced that UFC 312 will mark the organization’s return to the Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney — the venue in which Adesanya lost to Strickland last year. And should Borralho get his wish, the ex-champ will get his chance for redemption in the city opposite him in 2025.

During a recent interview with MMA Junkie‘s Mike Bohn, the #5-ranked contender claimed discussions are ongoing with the UFC over sharing the cage with Adesanya at next year’s second pay-per-view.

Borralho sought to explain why the matchup makes sense and also attempted to dismiss rival Nassourdine Imavov’s claim to the next shot at using Adesanya’s name to rise the ranks.

“I want to fight Izzy. We are in talks with UFC, but nothing confirmed yet,” Borralho said. “But that’s the fight we want. I think that’s the fight that makes sense. Adesanya already fought all the guys from (the) top five. Just me and Imavov he didn’t fight, but Imavov didn’t (have) a good fight last time, so I think they’re thinking about me. Let’s see what the UFC wants.”

“The Natural” has had a perfect run in the UFC since earning a contract on Dana White’s Contender Series back in 2021. He’s won all seven of his Octagon outings to date, knocking out Paul Craig and outpointing Jared Cannonier in his 2024 assignments.

Having climbed into title contention, Borralho is certainly due a major fight next time out. And he’s made no secret over which longtime star in the middleweight division he wants to face en route to the gold.

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