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Israel Adesanya decimated Paulo Costa in what could possibly have been the most one-sided fight since he joined the UFC. While it was expected to be fireworks, it was only Israel Adesanya who fired on all cylinders and outclassed the Brazilian Paulo Costa to a comfortable second-round TKO win.
Israel Adesanya has made it clear that he only wants to fight challengers, and he's hopeful that Jared Cannonier defeats Robert Whittaker in the co-main event of UFC 254 next month.
Should Jared Cannonier defeat the former undisputed Middleweight Champion Robert Whittaker, then he will get a guaranteed title shot against Israel Adesanya.
Dana White confirmed in the post-fight press conference that Israel Adesanya vs Jared Cannonier will happen if the latter defeats Whittaker at UFC 254 (H/T BJPENN.com):
“Yeah, I mean that’s the fight if Cannonier wins,” Dana White said.
Dana White had high praise for Israel Adesanya and his mentality of taking on all comers:
“And I love that about Israel. You know, he’s ready for who’s next, who else thinks they can beat me. It’s just — the kid is an absolute stud,” White said.
Will Jared Cannonier pose a big threat to Israel Adesanya?
Unlike the case withPaulo Costa, Israel Adesanya made it clear that he has immense respect for Jared Cannonier as a human being and a fighter. One would argue that Jared Cannonier has more tools that would make him an extremely difficult fighter for Israel Adesanya.
Israel Adesanya's call-out of Jared Cannonier seems to confirm the fact that the Whittaker-Cannonier fight is a #1 contender's fight. Cannonier can make it four in a row and create a lot of buzz around him. Many have dubbed Jared Cannonier as the dark horse of the Middleweight division.
