Tag: Israel Adesanya

Kevin Holland Dismisses Israel Adesanya As Exciting Opponent: ‘Now He’s Just Some Guy Who Can’t Stop Running Backwards’

UFC middleweight contender Kevin Holland is not enamored by the idea of sharing the octagon with former two-time champion Israel Adesanya. Holland is set for his second outing since returning to 185 pounds at this weekend’s UFC 307 pay-per-view event in Salt Lake City, Utah. Four months on from a submission win over Micha? Oleksiejczuk, […]

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UFC middleweight contender Kevin Holland is not enamored by the idea of sharing the octagon with former two-time champion Israel Adesanya.

Holland is set for his second outing since returning to 185 pounds at this weekend’s UFC 307 pay-per-view event in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Four months on from a submission win over Micha? Oleksiejczuk, “Trailblazer” has the chance to leap into the top 10 by getting the better of Roman Dolidze at the Delta Center on Saturday night.

With a victory over the Georgian, Holland could secure a place opposite a major contender next time out. But showing his strong focus on delivering entertainment, “Big Mouth” has looked to eliminate one former champ from the equation…

Holland Would Rather Fight Costa Than Adesanya: ‘At Least Paulo’s Going To Actually Come Out & Fight’

During a recent interview with ESPN MMA’s Brett Okamoto, Holland looked ahead to his outing in the “Beehive State” and assessed what could await him after an impressive performance.

While a big-name opponent could be in the offing for “Big Mouth” should he have his hand raised at UFC 307, he’d rather it not be one particular figure inside the top five.

“Not really,” Holland said when asked if the idea of facing Adesanya gets him excited. “It would have been exciting beating him as the champ. Now he’s just some guy who can’t stop running backwards and getting clipped and throwing a lot of leg kicks.

“At the end of the day, guys fighting like that, they play the chess match where they’re just doing this (leg kicking) all night. It’s like, that’s boring,” Holland continued. “I’d rather fight Paulo Costa than fight Izzy. At least Paulo’s gonna actually come out there and fight, when he actually wants to.”

Adesanya is currently without an opponent almost two months on from his defeat to Dricus Du Plessis in Perth. He is, however, targeting a return to action before the end of 2024.

Holland, meanwhile, looks to have his hands full this weekend as he shoots for the middleweight top 10 at the expense of the ever-dangerous Dolidze.

Continue Reading Kevin Holland Dismisses Israel Adesanya As Exciting Opponent: ‘Now He’s Just Some Guy Who Can’t Stop Running Backwards’ at MMA News.

Israel Adesanya Explains Effectiveness Of Alex Pereira’s Unorthodox ‘Hammer’ Leg Kicks

Israel Adesanya recently shed light on the potency of Alex Pereira’s unconventional leg kicks. If there’s anyone who truly understands the intricacies of Pereira’s fighting style, it’s “The Stylebender”. These two have shared the stage in one of combat sports’ most legendary rivalries. Having faced off four times—twice in kickboxing and twice in the UFC—Pereira […]

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Israel Adesanya recently shed light on the potency of Alex Pereira’s unconventional leg kicks.

If there’s anyone who truly understands the intricacies of Pereira’s fighting style, it’s “The Stylebender”. These two have shared the stage in one of combat sports’ most legendary rivalries. Having faced off four times—twice in kickboxing and twice in the UFC—Pereira holds the upper hand with a 3-1 lead over Adesanya.

Adesanya is only all too familiar with the devastating impact of Pereira’s strikes, particularly his infamous leg kicks, which have earned widespread acclaim for their potency.

Even MMA icons like Daniel Cormier and Joe Rogan have praised the brutal effectiveness of Pereira’s leg kicks, recognizing just how destructive they can be.

Adesanya understands better than most that Pereira’s crushing power isn’t confined to his fists alone. Though his nickname “Poatan” means “Stone Hands,” the Brazilian’s leg kicks are equally as destructive.

Adesanya Admits ‘It’s A Different Feeling’ When Pereira’s Leg Kicks Connect

During a recent appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience, “The Last Stylebender” reflected on his UFC clashes with Pereira. Adesanya specifically revisited their encounter at UFC 281, where he lost his middleweight crown to “Poatan.” He noted that he was in control for the first two rounds, but once Pereira unleashed his brutal leg kicks, the momentum shifted.

The former two-time 185-pound champion elaborated on the mechanics behind Pereira’s striking, highlighting how he executes such devastating blows. Adesanya likened the reigning UFC light heavyweight champion’s forefoot to a hammer.

“That f**king leg kick, bro,” Adesanya said. “You know what it is. If you look at this bit of his foot [forefoot], it’s like a hammer, like the back of a hammer because that’s what he kicks you with, so he doesn’t have to turn the hip over. And when he hits you with that, even because of his bone density and long legs, when he hits you with that, you just feel it like, ‘Oo, that’s bad.’”

“It’s a different feeling because I’ve been kicked by kickboxers all my life on the thigh and on the calf as well, but when he hits you with that bit, it’s just the surface so small, it travels and transfers through your whole calf, and you’re like, ‘Oh, I can’t put weight on this.’”

“Poatan” is set to defend his championship against Khalil Rountree in the main event of UFC 307, taking place this weekend at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. Pereira enters this matchup on a high, following his stunning second-round knockout of Jiri Prochazka at UFC 303 this past June.

Continue Reading Israel Adesanya Explains Effectiveness Of Alex Pereira’s Unorthodox ‘Hammer’ Leg Kicks at MMA News.

Israel Adesanya Gives ‘Dumb Game Plan’ Advice For Khalil Rountree Ahead Of UFC 307: ‘It’s a Matter Of Time Because You’re Drowning’

Khalil Rountree has got a tough task ahead of him at UFC 307 where he will be walking into the biggest fight of his career. The #8-ranked light heavyweight contender will be challenging Alex Pereira for the title in Salt Lake City. Rountree’s striking has proven to be very dangerous, but implementing that against someone […]

Continue Reading Israel Adesanya Gives ‘Dumb Game Plan’ Advice For Khalil Rountree Ahead Of UFC 307: ‘It’s a Matter Of Time Because You’re Drowning’ at MMA News.

Khalil Rountree has got a tough task ahead of him at UFC 307 where he will be walking into the biggest fight of his career.

The #8-ranked light heavyweight contender will be challenging Alex Pereira for the title in Salt Lake City.

Rountree’s striking has proven to be very dangerous, but implementing that against someone as technical as the former two-weight GLORY kickboxing world champion will not be easy.

One man knows about facing Pereira better than anyone else and he had some thoughts to pass onto the challenger ahead of Saturday night.

Israel Adesanya Lays Out Flawed Game Plan For Khalil Rountree

During his UFC 307 predictions on his YouTube channel, Israel Adesanya spoke about how Rountree can win this fight.

“The Last Stylebender” has faced off with “Poatan” twice in kickboxing and twice in MMA, winning their last encounter at UFC 287 via knockout.

He said that Rountree’s best route to victory is getting it done early before Pereira can start to break him down and set traps.

However, Adesanya then corrected his own point by stating that being overly aggressive against Pereira can also play into the Brazilian’s hands.

If Rountree is to take one piece of advice from this, it’s to back his opponent up to avoid what the former two-time UFC middleweight champion describes as “drowning”.

“Khalil has to just go at him, can’t be scared, just press him back. You can, it’s possible, press him back. Watch out for the low kicks cuz that’s what he’s gonna use to stop him… Khalil attack the body, attack the legs too cuz Pereira will take them but he doesn’t get affected by them till later, much later. If Khalil is gonna win, he’s gonna have to win or try and win early but that’s a dumb game plan so don’t listen to me. Don’t try and win early cuz that’s how you get caught as well with Pereira. He can catch him with anything. Catch him with hook coming in, knee, leg kicks and then eventually, when you feel like the third one, you’re like, ‘Oh s***,’ then I can’t press him back anymore. Then it’s like a matter of time as you’re drowning.”

Adesanya would, however, go on to pick Alex Pereira to win the fight at UFC 307, in his official predictions.

Read also: Alex Pereira On Chances Of Ex-Kickboxing Foe Finding UFC Success: ‘They Are Not Me, They Are Not Adesanya’

Continue Reading Israel Adesanya Gives ‘Dumb Game Plan’ Advice For Khalil Rountree Ahead Of UFC 307: ‘It’s a Matter Of Time Because You’re Drowning’ at MMA News.

Israel Adesanya Explains Seeing an Accidental Death During Car Altercation: “Senseless Street Violence.”

Israel Adesanya Explains Seeing an Accidental Death During Car Altercation: "Senseless Street Violence."Israel Adesanya revealed some insight into a now-viral confrontation he had with a random man on the streets of…

Israel Adesanya Explains Seeing an Accidental Death During Car Altercation: "Senseless Street Violence."

Israel Adesanya revealed some insight into a now-viral confrontation he had with a random man on the streets of Auckland.

Last month, a video made the rounds on social media that showed the former two-time middleweight world champion in a heated exchange with an unidentified man on a street corner. Though things escalated quickly with obscenities and racial slurs reportedly being flung, things never got physical between the two.

During a recent appearance on The Adam Carolla Show, Adesanya recounted the incident and revealed why he chose not to engage with the man outside of throwing a few verbal jabs.

“When he pulled up in front of the car, I was just like, ‘Okay, if this guy breaches my [space], then I have to attack him,’” Adesanya said. “But I had a good day; I was in a good mental space, and I gave him a lot of grace because one of our teammates, Fau Vake, got killed by senseless street violence. He got coward-punched by a d*ckhead, and he’s dead now. So in the moment, I knew if I hit this guy, he’s going to hit his head because it’s a sloped street. He’s going to fall down, hit his head on the concrete, and probably bleed out.”

Adesanya added, ”I was like, what the f**k, and I was laughing, so I think me laughing kind of p*ssed him off. Then him flexing and all that—look, within an hour I found out where he lived. It’s my city, but again, I think Karma will get him” (h/t MMA News).

According to a report from NZ Herald, Four men attacked brothers Fau and Ika Vake in Auckland’s central business district in the early morning hours of May 16, 2021. Fau Vake was punched in the face during the altercation which caused him to fall backward and hit his head on the concrete. He died from a brain bleed nine days later.

Israel Adesanya Eyes Late 2024/early 2025 return

After being one of the most dominant middleweights in UFC history, ‘The Last Stylebender’ finds himself in a tough spot after losing three of his last four inside the Octagon. In his most recent outing, Adesanya suffered a fourth-round submission defeat at the hands of reigning 185-pound titleholder Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 305.

Israel Adesanya

Adesanya is confident that he’ll get another shot at ‘DDP’ in the future, but he knows he’ll likely have to go out and win one or two before earning a rematch. As for when he plans to get back inside the cage, the ‘Stylebender’ is already eyeing a late 2024 or early 2025 return.

“Yeah, of course,” he said of fighting Du Plessis again. “That’ll come later on. But you know, right now, after I just fought [Dricus], I don’t think it’s gonna be immediately. I’d rather just fight, not really for the belt, just fight for fighting sake.”

“I’m still Israel. I’ll let them call me out or whatever. At the moment, I wanna fight one more time before the end of this year or early next year, but I don’t know yet. I’m just training, building off where we left off, and I’ll get the call at some point with a with a few options. I’m sure Dana will hit me up at some point.”

Israel Adesanya

Israel Adesanya Opens Up On Viral Car Altercation: ‘Within An Hour I Found Out Where He Lived…’

Israel Adesanya recently broke his silence on the viral confrontation he had with a passerby on the streets of Auckland, New Zealand. Last month, a video emerged on social media showing the former UFC middleweight champion in an intense exchange with an individual on the streets. The confrontation quickly escalated into a heated, expletive-filled argument, […]

Continue Reading Israel Adesanya Opens Up On Viral Car Altercation: ‘Within An Hour I Found Out Where He Lived…’ at MMA News.

Israel Adesanya recently broke his silence on the viral confrontation he had with a passerby on the streets of Auckland, New Zealand.

Last month, a video emerged on social media showing the former UFC middleweight champion in an intense exchange with an individual on the streets. The confrontation quickly escalated into a heated, expletive-filled argument, during which Adesanya could be seen spitting in the direction of the person.

While the exact cause of the wrangle remains unclear, TMZ reported that the unidentified individual in the video approached “The Last Stylebender” as he was parking his vehicle on K Rd. The person allegedly hurled the N-word at the UFC superstar and even challenged him to a fight. Fortunately, the situation didn’t escalate into a physical confrontation.

Picking a fight with a trained MMA fighter—especially someone of Adesanya’s caliber—would be a terrible decision for any ordinary person. If the Nigerian-born Kiwi had chosen to, he could have easily wiped the floor with the heckler.

However, “The Last Stylebender” had a very specific reason for holding back and choosing not to engage physically with the individual.

Adesanya Reveals He Avoided Escalating Confrontation With Heckler To Prevent Street Violence

During a recent appearance on the Adam Carolla Show, Adesanya recounted the now-viral street encounter with the provocateur. The Auckland native explained that he was making a quick stop at an eatery when the individual suddenly confronted him, challenging him to a fight—a move Adesanya suspects was a setup.

“The Last Stylebender” remained relatively composed and didn’t take the situation too seriously but admitted that if the person had invaded his personal space, he would have been forced to defend himself. However, he held back, explaining that the tragic death of his City Kickboxing teammate, Fau Vake, who was killed in a senseless road rage incident in 2021, made him determined not to let the situation escalate into violence.

“When he pulled up in front of the car, I was just like, ‘Okay, if this guy breaches my [space], then I have to attack him,’” Adesanya said. “But I had a good day; I was in a good mental space, and I gave him a lot of grace because one of our teammates, Fau Vake, got killed by senseless street violence. He got coward-punched by a d*ckhead, and he’s dead now. So in the moment, I knew if I hit this guy, he’s going to hit his head because it’s a sloped street. He’s going to fall down, hit his head on the concrete, and probably bleed out.”

Adesanya further mentioned that he never took the individual seriously from the start of their verbal exchange, admitting he found the entire situation amusing and couldn’t help but chuckle throughout the encounter.

“”I was like, what the f**k, and I was laughing, so I think me laughing kind of p*ssed him off. Then him flexing and all that—look, within an hour I found out where he lived. It’s my city, but again, I think Karma will get him.”

“The Last Stylebender” is enduring the most difficult stretch of his career, having faced consecutive losses for the first time. Adesanya’s effort to reclaim the UFC middleweight title fell short against reigning champion Dricus Du Plessis, succumbing to a fourth-round submission at UFC 305 in August.

Continue Reading Israel Adesanya Opens Up On Viral Car Altercation: ‘Within An Hour I Found Out Where He Lived…’ at MMA News.

Marc Goddard Names Israel Adesanya Bout As The Greatest He’s Refereed: ‘I’ve Cried After That Fight…’

As a veteran referee, Marc Goddard has been the third man in the Octagon for some of the most iconic UFC fights of all time. He’s seen his fair share of show stealing knockouts, jaw dropping comebacks and epic encounters that fans will talk about for decades to come. During a recent interview with talkSPORT […]

Continue Reading Marc Goddard Names Israel Adesanya Bout As The Greatest He’s Refereed: ‘I’ve Cried After That Fight…’ at MMA News.

As a veteran referee, Marc Goddard has been the third man in the Octagon for some of the most iconic UFC fights of all time.

He’s seen his fair share of show stealing knockouts, jaw dropping comebacks and epic encounters that fans will talk about for decades to come.

During a recent interview with talkSPORT MMA, Goddard spoke about some of the most memorable fights that he has officiated.

Find any interview with the Brit talking about this specific question and he always gives the same answer, taking you back to one night in Atlanta, Georgia.

Marc Goddard Talks About When Israel Adesanya & Kelvin Gastelum Pushed Each Other To The Limit

At UFC 236, the co-main event of the evening was the highlight of the night even when it was followed by Dustin Poirier vs Max Holloway 2.

Israel Adesanya met Kelvin Gastelum with the interim middleweight title on the line and the pair produced an all-time classic.

This one will always stand out to Goddard when he looks back on all of the fights that he has played a part in, he said.

“Then number one is, every day of the week, twice on a Sunday, is Israel Adesanya and Kelvin Gastelum.

“You find one moment in your life when you think, ‘I’m not going to go away’. In this fight, you had two guys in the exact same moment that wouldn’t go away. I couldn’t believe what I was watching unfold in front of me. I remember that there’s a clip at the beginning of the fifth round and Israel’s looking across him saying, ‘I’m prepared to die.’ Now I didn’t, I’m not looking at this, I’d seen it afterwards but honestly mate, that fight when you got two fighters that went into the deepest, darkest depths of their soul and they went into the deepest, darkest waters imaginable or possible in a fight and I was right alongside them, standing three-foot away, witnessing this unfold.”

Goddard also said that the fight produced an emotional moment both on that night and when he watches the fight back, after seeing how far both men were able to push each other.

“As soon as I know they’re safe, I f****** run off with my head in hands and I won’t be ashamed to say, I’ve cried after that fight watching it back because it was ungodly what those guys did. It was ungodly.”

Read also: Alexander Volkanovski Picks ‘Very Exciting’ Conor McGregor Fight Over Ilia Topuria Rematch

Continue Reading Marc Goddard Names Israel Adesanya Bout As The Greatest He’s Refereed: ‘I’ve Cried After That Fight…’ at MMA News.