Israel Adesanya says Jared Cannonier’s “spirit” stands out looks forward to UFC 276 brawl

Jared Cannonier (L); Israel Adesanya (R)
Jared Cannonier (L); Israel Adesanya (R)

UFC middleweight kingpin Israel Adesanya has suggested that Jared Cannonier’s “spirit” separates him from the rest. With that being said, ‘The Last Stylebender’ asserted that his stand-up is far superior to that of ‘The Killa Gorilla’.

While Cannonier seemingly believes that he’s capable of out-striking ‘Izzy’, the latter disagrees. Adesanya has warned that his stand-up is no joke and that he’s coming to bang at UFC 276. During an interview with the UFC’s Megan Olivi, Adesanya was asked about what makes Cannonier stand out from the rest of his challengers. Adesanya responded by stating:

“His spirit. He’s a guy who wears his heart on his sleeve. And I feel like, his spirit, he brings it forth, but so do I. That’s why, I mean, all the things I do – the, I don’t know, the manga, anime, the dancing, the character, the pearls. It’s all me embodying myself, and my own fighting spirit, and my own ‘mana’ [spiritual energy] within me.”
“So, that’s what I recognized in him early on, and I told him, ‘I’m gonna see you one day.’ And I’m glad he finally stepped up to the plate. Yeah, it’s go time.”

Over the past few years, Adesanya has time and again noted that he’d have to defend his middleweight throne against Cannonier were the American to keep winning. During the UFC 253 post show on ESPN+ back in September 2020, Adesanya notably compared a potential fight between himself and Cannonier to the classic anime fight between Naruto and Sasuke.

Watch Adesanya address the topic at 0:50 in the video below:

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John McCarthy believes Jared Cannonier could adopt a wrestling-heavy approach against Israel Adesanya

UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya is scheduled to defend his belt against Jared Cannonier in the headlining fight of tonight’s UFC 276 event. Speaking of which, earlier this year former MMA referee John McCarthy highlighted the danger that Cannonier poses to Adesanya’s reign as the middleweight king.

In an episode of the Weighing In Podcast, McCarthy alluded to the fact that Jared Cannonier’s one-shot KO power could stop anyone. Nevertheless, he emphasized that Israel Adesanya is the more-skilled fighter. While highlighting how Cannonier might take a wrestling-heavy approach to counter Adesanya’s elite kickboxing skills, McCarthy said:

“He [Adesanya] has got more tools in the toolbox. He’s that guy that can do it all. It’s gonna cause Cannonier problems. Cannonier’s a guy that, most of the time, he doesn’t want to be on the ground [but] he’s going to want to be on the ground against Izzy. Somewhere along this, you’re gonna see Cannonier becoming a wrestler and trying to take him down.”

Watch the Weighing In Podcast clip below:

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Edited by kennedyking2016