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Joe Rogan and Israel Adesanya Implore UFC to create a Kickboxing League, Leave Slap Fighting Behind

Joe Rogan Israel Adesanya UFC kickboxing muay thai On a recent episode of the Joe Rogan Experience podcast, Rogan sat down with Israel Adesanya and discussed the…

On a recent episode of the Joe Rogan Experience podcast, Rogan sat down with Israel Adesanya and discussed the innovation of fight leagues like ONE FC, which offers more than strictly mixed martial arts fights.

In fact, ONE thought outside the box in 2018 and started showcasing disciplines like Kickboxing and Muay Thai, breaking the standard mold for what a fight promotion can do.

Rogan and Adesanya are both fans of this move and certainly approve of it more than anything outrageous, like if some moron decided to open up a slap-fighting league. That would be crazy, and surely nobody would do that. Right?

Joe Rogan and Israel Adesanya Wish that the UFC would innovate like ONE FC

“I like how ONE has everything. They have grappling matches, they have kickboxing matches, they have Muay Thai matches, and they have MMA matches. I think that is the way to go,” Joe Rogan said (H/T BJPenn.com)

Israel Adesanya is also a big fan of what ONE is doing, and speaks with the experience of a legendary kickboxer. “They (ONE) just did one in Denver,” Adesanya began, speaking about an event he watched. “The fights were crazy, a lot of knockdowns and a lot of action-packed stuff. If it were marketed the right way, with the UFC’s marketing machine, easily, it would be one of the biggest things.”

Joe Rogan agreed with Adesanya’s sentiment and added, “Everybody loves KOs; everybody loves stand-up fights. You’re going to get real KOs because no one can grapple. Then you will attract the greatest strikers in the world like what ONE is doing.”

With ONE proving that traditional striking martial arts can sell, the UFC should consider making some headway into this market. Not only that but kickboxing and muay thai also allow each fighter to defend themselves, unlike the brutal rules of Dana White’s Power Slap league, which dictates that fighters must stand there and take a full power blow to the head.

If the UFC made a foray into the kickboxing and muay Thai world, would you give it a watch?

VIDEO: Israel Adesanya Reacts To Former Rival Alex Pereira’s UFC 307 Win

Israel Adesanya watched closely as UFC 307 went down this past weekend, where a former foe of his was back in action. The former two-time middleweight champion is always able to offer unparalleled analysis when Alex Pereira is stepping inside the cage. They’ve faced each other on four occasions in various rule sets, and despite […]

Continue Reading VIDEO: Israel Adesanya Reacts To Former Rival Alex Pereira’s UFC 307 Win at MMA News.

Israel Adesanya watched closely as UFC 307 went down this past weekend, where a former foe of his was back in action.

The former two-time middleweight champion is always able to offer unparalleled analysis when Alex Pereira is stepping inside the cage.

They’ve faced each other on four occasions in various rule sets, and despite his prior losses to “Poatan,” Adesanya is the only man to beat him in the UFC.

Via the reactions video on his YouTube channel, FREESTYLEBENDER, fans got the chance to watch “The Last Stylebender” enjoy a fun fight and devastating performance from Pereira to cap off the night.

Israel Adesanya Reacts To Alex Pereira’s Ruthless Display At UFC 307

Now that he’s not competing against him and they’re in different weight classes, Adesanya is able to join the ranks of all the fans that enjoy watching Pereira do what he does best.

Throughout his reaction, he constantly drew attention to things that Pereira is doing or thinking based on his experiences of fighting and studying “Poatan.”

Despite a strong start to the fight from the challenger, Adesanya believed that Pereira was only going to get stronger as the fight went on.

“Round two, if ‘Poatan’ gets past this or doesn’t get knock him out, I think he’ll be fine. Khalil is better early on… I think he has to. If not, ‘Poatan’ is gonna get those leg kicks going again.”

Adesanya also pointed out in-between rounds how well the champion is able to recover in tough fights, whispering about how he knows all too well about this.

“He’s a f****** demon bro. I felt it.”

The third round came to a close and the former champ made the call that Pereira was going to close out proceedings in the fourth round now that he had really found his groove in Salt Lake City.

“I can feel it, I can feel it. Now it’s gonna be ‘Chama’ time.”

Throughout the fourth round, Adesanya repeatedly called for Pereira to switch up his approach and target the body which he eventually did, ending the fight after a barrage of strikes that Rountree somehow withstood.

“Good on him, he lasted longer than I thought he would but at least someone else took him to the fourth round, shows how good Khalil is.”

Adesanya rounded out his thoughts on the fight by talking about what is in front of both Pereira and Rountree going forward.

“He’s got some hard fights in front of him but he’s that guy right now, he’s on… honestly, that’s how I called it but I thought it was going to be early but shout to Khalil ’cause heart. Fighting with a broke nose, f***** eye and intelligence not to blow his nose in the fight, respect and his stock goes up after this, so yeah, what a moment.”

Read More: Alex Pereira’s Last Kickboxing Rival Claims He’s Not MMA’s Top Striker

Continue Reading VIDEO: Israel Adesanya Reacts To Former Rival Alex Pereira’s UFC 307 Win at MMA News.

MMA Analyst Explains How Alex Pereira’s UFC 307 Performance Differed From Win Against Israel Adesanya

Alex Pereira has defended the UFC light heavyweight three times in 2024 while breaking Ronda Rousey’s record of the quickest turnarounds between three title defenses. Although many believed Khalil Rountree to be a much easier opponent than former champs Jamahal Hill and Jiri Prochazka, “The War Horse” gave Pereira one of his toughest UFC fights. […]

Continue Reading MMA Analyst Explains How Alex Pereira’s UFC 307 Performance Differed From Win Against Israel Adesanya at MMA News.

Alex Pereira has defended the UFC light heavyweight three times in 2024 while breaking Ronda Rousey’s record of the quickest turnarounds between three title defenses.

Although many believed Khalil Rountree to be a much easier opponent than former champs Jamahal Hill and Jiri Prochazka, “The War Horse” gave Pereira one of his toughest UFC fights. The challenger won the first two rounds and compelled the champion to make several adjustments.

Luke Thomas, like countless others, has all the praise in the world for Pereira’s UFC 307 performance. While breaking it down, he explained how “Poatan” handled Rountree and Israel Adesanya in vastly different ways…

Luke Thomas Breaks Down Alex Pereira’s UFC 307 Win Over Khalil Rountree By Comparing It To His First MMA Win Over Israel Adesanya

Thomas reacted to the UFC 307 main event on his YouTube channel recently. Right away, he shut down people claiming that the light heavyweight kingpin shouldn’t have faced trouble against the no. 8 ranked person in the division.

Then, the analyst explained how Rountree forced Pereira to change his traditional game plan that involves inside leg kicks, jabs to the body, head kicks, and most importantly, the left hook. None of these elements seemed to work against “The War Horse” in the first two rounds following which “Poatan” relied on his left jab and gradually mixed things up.

“I cannot overstate to you how difficult that is for most fighters, including most elite fighters. Most elite fighters have a game. This is what they do. And if that doesn’t work, and they’re still five, ten, 15 minutes, they have no other gear to go to. And in fact, I’m going to say this in a complimentary way, that is what ultimately happened to Khalil Rountree. He had a game and it was very very potent but once Poatan was able to like plug little holes in it and it began to leak, there was no going back.”

Thomas highlighted how hard it is for fighters, regardless of skill and experience, to ditch their game plan mid-fight. To explain this further, he compared the significant strikes stats for the UFC 307 main event to the first UFC fight between Pereira and Adesanya.

Against Rountree, the Brazilian landed 72% head strikes, 13% body strikes, and 14% leg kicks. Against Adesanya at UFC 281, he landed 46% head strikes, 29% body strikes, and 24% leg kicks. Although both fights ended similarly, the difference in Pereira’s approach is evident.

“This is proof positive. He didn’t have to work for the jab [against Adesanya] nearly as much in this one and the jab is obviously relevant to the body too, but. look at how much the jab to the top of the head was absolutely critical.”

READ MORE: Sean O’Malley’s Coach Called ‘Hypocrite’ For Supporting Mario Bautista’s UFC 307 Win After Bashing Merab Dvalishvili

Continue Reading MMA Analyst Explains How Alex Pereira’s UFC 307 Performance Differed From Win Against Israel Adesanya at MMA News.

Jon Anik Breaks Down the UFC Middleweight Division and What’s Next For It’s Top 3 Contenders

Jon Anik thinks the UFC’s middleweight division has never been stronger. As it stands, there are a slew of…

Jon Anik thinks the UFC’s middleweight division has never been stronger.

As it stands, there are a slew of potential title challengers at 185, namely Sean Strickland, Israel Adesanya, Robert Whittaker, Khamzat Chimaev, and Nassourdine Imavov. The question of who’s next for reigning titleholder Dricus Du Plessis is by no means an easy one, but for the longtime play-by-play man, Strickland makes the most sense.

Not just because he sits as the division’s top-ranked contender, but because he’s earned the rematch by being a company man through and through.

“I don’t think it’s hyperbolic or overstating it to suggest that the middleweight division, right now, has never been stronger,” Anik told The Schmo. “Right? Sean Strickland’s a worthy number-one contender. Nassourdine Imavov, on and on it could go!”

He continued, “In a straight meritocracy, I’m on record as promoting Sean Strickland because he has repeatedly stepped up for the promotion. Let us not forget he put his number four ranking on the line against Alex Pereira when nobody wanted to fight ‘Poatan.’ He has stepped into main events against guys, he’s stepped into a five round fight against Paulo Costa. And he fought Dricus Du Plessis toe-to-toe. So in a straight meritocracy, if I’m the promoter, I lean Strickland.”

Jon Anik thinks ‘Borz’ could be next for izzy

Even though UFC CEO Dana White has already promised Strickland his rematch with Du Plessis, it’s not quite that simple. Later this month, we’ve got a big matchup between Robert Whittaker and Khamzat Chimaev that could very well produce the next middleweight title challenger.

Then there’s Israel Adesanya who, despite having lost back-to-back bouts, is always right there in the title picture and could step in at a moment’s notice.

Asked what’s next for ‘The Last Stylebender,’ Anik suggested that a clash with Chimaev could be his ticket back to the title, but that all depends on how things play out between ‘Borz’ and Whittaker in Abu Dhabi on October 26.

“I think if you’re Izzy, you just lay back in the cut and maybe it’s Khamzat. I mean that’s a fight that I think would have some appeal but Khamzat could be in a championship setting.”

Jon Anik Shares Best Potential Matchups For Israel Adesanya, Sean Strickland & Dricus Du Plessis

The UFC middleweight division has changed a lot in the last couple of years. The turmoil that started after Anderson Silva finally lost the belt ended with Israel Adesanya unifying the title and defending it five times. Alex Pereira then fired through the ranks to take out Izzy at UFC 281 but “The Last Stylebender” […]

Continue Reading Jon Anik Shares Best Potential Matchups For Israel Adesanya, Sean Strickland & Dricus Du Plessis at MMA News.

Alex Pereira then fired through the ranks to take out Izzy at UFC 281 but “The Last Stylebender” reclaimed his belt at UFC 287 with one of the most iconic knockouts of all time.

Just when it seemed like Adesanya would be champion for at least a couple more years, Sean Strickland pulled off one of the biggest upsets of all time to become champ. He then lost the belt to Dricus Du Plessis, who’s already defended it once against Adesanya.

Amidst the unusual turbulence at the top ranks, here’s how the UFC middleweight division should operate according to Jon Anik…

Jon Anik Backs Sean Strickland As Next UFC Middleweight Title Contender While Suggesting Israel Adesanya vs. Khamzat Chimaev

Anik claimed the UFC middleweight division to be stronger than ever during an interview on the official The Schmo YouTube channel. When asked about who should fight for the title next, the play-by-play commentator named Strickland.

“I don’t think it’s hyperbolic or overstating it to suggest that the middleweight division, right now, has never been stronger. Right? Sean Strickland’s a worthy number-one contender. Nassourdine Imavov, on and on it could go!”

Anik backed his choice by recalling the times Strickland has stepped up for the UFC and citing his recent win over Paulo Costa and the extremely close decision loss to Dricus Du Plessis, the current champ. He also credited the former UFC middleweight kingpin for risking his top 5 ranking against Pereira in 2022.

“Well, in a straight meritocracy, I’m on record as promoting Sean Strickland because he has repeatedly stepped up for the promotion. Let us not forget he put his number four ranking on the line against Alex Pereira when nobody wanted to fight Poatan. He has stepped into main events against guys, he’s stepped into a five round fight against Paulo Costa. And he fought Dricus Du Plessis toe-to-toe. So in a straight meritocracy, if I’m the promoter, I lean Strickland.”

Although he’s no longer the champ, Adesanya is still likely the biggest draw in the division. So, when asked about the best matchup for his return, Anik named Chimaev who’s fighting Robert Whittaker at UFC 308. With that match, the former champ should be able to make the most of his star power and help elevate Chimaev’s popularity as well.

“I think if you’re Izzy, you just lay back in the cut and maybe it’s Khamzat. I mean that’s a fight that I think would have some appeal but Khamzat could be in a championship setting.”

Anik acknowledged that the match between Whittaker and Chimaev is bound to shake things up. The winner will likely have an undeniable claim to a title shot and it’ll be interesting to see whether Strickland will be overlooked in the process.

READ MORE: Former UFC Champ Highlights ‘Weirdest Thing’ About Fighting Alex Pereira

Continue Reading Jon Anik Shares Best Potential Matchups For Israel Adesanya, Sean Strickland & Dricus Du Plessis at MMA News.

UFC: Israel Adesanya Sides with Dricus Du Plessis in Sean Strickland Rematch: ‘He’s Just So Weird’

Israel Adesanya sees Dricus Du Plessis going two-up on Sean Strickland. After coming up short against Du Plessis in…

Israel Adesanya sees Dricus Du Plessis going two-up on Sean Strickland.

After coming up short against Du Plessis in August, ‘The Last Stylebender’ will sit back and watch two other fighters compete over the UFC middleweight title for the first time in more than five years. Though no official announcements have been made, ‘DDP’ is expected to run it back with Strickland in the South African’s home country.

Meanwhile, Adesanya will look to fight his way back towards the top of the rankings in hopes of one day making history as a three-time middleweight titleholder.

Until then, the Nigerian-born New Zealander offered his prediction for the impending sequel scrap between the last two men to have beaten him inside the Octagon.

“They already fought before. I fought both of them,” Adesanya said on The Adam Corolla Show. “I think Du Plessis might get it done again. He’s just so weird. The way he fights is awkward. He’s stubborn. No matter how tired he gets, he’ll still just throw, just to stop you in your tracks or stop you from doing what you’re doing. And he’ll just throw and hope. It wouldn’t really land, but it would stop what you’re trying to progress” (h/t BJPenn.com).

Sean Strickland Will finally get his rematch with Du Plessis

Du Plessis bested Strickland at UFC 297 in January via split decision to claim the middleweight title. Since then, ‘Tarzan’ has been clamoring for a rematch. All signs point to his wish being granted after returning to the win column courtesy of a win against Paulo Costa in June.

‘DDP’ is a perfect 8-0 in his UFC run while Strickland has won four of his last five.