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Tim Kennedy believes Israel Adesanya has already beaten the opponent with the best chance to dethrone him. Kennedy was a former Strikeforce middleweight title challenger before retiring in 2017.
Although Jared Cannonier could pull off an upset at UFC 276, Kennedy doesn't think he has the best chance of beating Adesanya. During an episode of Food Truck Diaries with Brendan Schaub, the 42-year-old American detailed who should have beaten Adesanya:
"Yoel [Romero] could have been the guy to put the pressure on, pick some angles, and mess with timing, but he didn't. Yoel just hung back and fought one of the worst championship fights ever."
Romero vs. Adesanya was arguably one of the most disappointing MMA fights ever. The 'Soldier of God' had the style to dethrone 'The Last Stylebender' but ultimately couldn't execute.
Adesanya is now heading for his fifth title defense against Cannonier at UFC 276. With a win on July 2, the only title contender left would be the winner of Sean Strickland vs. Alex Pereira.
Watch Tim Kennedy discuss Israel Adesanya below:
Tim Kennedy says "Khabib style" could give Israel Adesanya trouble
Khabib Nurmagomedov's manager Ali Abdelaziz recently caught backlash for saying 'The Eagle' could beat Adesanya within three rounds. Although he did not talk about the actual fighter, Kennedy believes the Russian's style could give 'The Last Stylebender' some trouble.
During the same episode, Kennedy had this to say about the fighting style to beat Adesanya:
"The Khabib style of you don't know if I'm gonna take you down, maybe I'm gonna hit you with a big overhand right as I change levels, maybe I'm gonna push you up against the cage, like nobody has done that to him."
Adesanya is a puzzle that has not been solved at 185 lbs. Cannonier could be the last hope to dethrone the middleweight champion, but his potential strategy of striking with him could be a mistake. Only time will tell if anyone can beat 'The Last Stylebender' at middleweight.
