"Technique versus power" - Curtis Blaydes predicts outcome of Israel Adesanya vs. Jared Cannonier

Curtis Blaydes has suggested that UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya will likely defeat Jared Cannonier in their upcoming title fight at UFC 276 on July 2. ‘Razor’ added, however, that Cannonier’s power does pose a legitimate threat to Adesanya. Blaydes, a top-tier UFC heavyweight, faces Tom Aspinall in the headlining fight at UFC London on July 23.

In an edition of MMA Pros Pick with James Lynch, Blaydes compared the Adesanya-Cannonier fight to Adesanya’s bout against Yoel Romero at UFC 248 in March 2020. The Adesanya-Romero fight was expected to be a similar stylistic matchup to Adesanya-Cannonier, with Adesanya’s technique clashing against Romero’s power.

Nevertheless, the fight featured minimal action, as Romero refused to engage, and Adesanya chose to pick him apart from a distance to avoid danger during striking exchanges. Adesanya ended up defeating Romero via unanimous decision.

Curtis Blaydes notably compared the Adesanya-Romero fight to the rematch between Rose Namajunas and Carla Esparza that took place in May this year. The Namajunas-Esparza rematch, too, featured negligible action. Addressing the upcoming Adesanya-Cannonier fight, Blaydes stated:

“Again, technique versus power. I’m going with the technique. But Cannonier’s scary on the feet. If he’s able to touch him [Adesanya], he might be able to put him on his a**. So, ‘Izzy’ is going to have to be his smoothest. It’s going to be the smoothest version of ‘Izzy’ that we’ve ever seen."

"We thought we were going to get this type of fight when he [Adesanya] had to fight Romero. But that was almost like Esparza versus Rose. It was almost like that, except ‘Izzy,’ he did a little more. But yeah, I think ‘Izzy’ wins this fight versus Jared.”

Watch the video below:

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Rafael Cordeiro on what sets Israel Adesanya apart from other fighters

World-renowned MMA coach Rafael Cordeiro has coached elite UFC middleweights such as Marvin Vettori and Kelvin Gastelum in fights against Israel Adesanya. Vettori lost to 'The Last Stylebender' twice, and Adesanya beat Gastelum in their incredible fight for the interim title.

Speaking to The Schmo, Cordeiro recently indicated that it’s Adesanya’s mind that sets him apart from his competition. Promising that he and his fighters will someday find a way to defeat 'The Last Stylebender', Cordeiro said:

“He's [Israel Adesanya] [a] tough guy... we lost some fights [against] him. His mental, I believe, his mental make a lot of difference. His technique is good but his mental is better than his technique. He [has] high IQ inside the octagon. I believe this is a big difference between him and a lot of fighters.”

Watch the interview below: