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Jared Cannonier has put forth his take regarding UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya ahead of their fight at UFC 276 on July 2. Speaking to Ariel Helwani on "The MMA Hour," Cannonier revealed that he’s a fan of ‘The Last Stylebender’ and likes his style.
"The Killa Gorilla" emphasized that he watches Israel Adesanya fight and learns from the middleweight kingpin. When asked whether he has any kind of relationship with ‘Izzy,’ Cannonier said:
“Not personally. You know what I’m saying? I’m a fan of him. I like his style. I learn from watching him fight. You know what I’m saying? I learn from watching everybody fight. So, we just have a few things in common. He’s a striker. I’m a striker. He’s black. I’m black.”
Cannonier added:
“But for me, when I’m watching this sport, when I’m watching this special sport that I compete in, when I’m watching other individuals compete, doing the same thing that I’m doing; I’m trying to learn as much as I can. One, so I don’t have to make the mistakes that these other fighters are making. And two, so I can try to upgrade myself.”
Expounding on the second reason behind him carefully observing other fighters compete, Cannonier clarified that it isn’t because he wants to copy them. "The Killa Gorilla" explained that he aims to learn techniques from those fighters, add them to his arsenal, and execute those techniques in a better way, if possible.
The 38-year-old credited Adesanya for being "a man of his word" and giving him a title shot after he'd promised him one following their respective wins at UFC 271 in February.
Watch Jared Cannonier’s conversation with Ariel Helwani in the video below:
Robert Whittaker believes Jared Cannonier could make Israel Adesanya uncomfortable inside octagon
Former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker has faced Israel Adesanya twice and Jared Cannonier once. Whittaker suffered a pair of losses against Adesanya, a second-round KO and a unanimous decision loss. However, Whittaker beat Cannonier via unanimous decision.
In an interview with Submission Radio earlier this year, Whittaker opined that Adesanya would be the favorite to beat Cannonier in a potential fight.
He indicated that ‘Izzy’ would utilize his range and technical striking prowess to keep Cannonier on the outside. Nevertheless, ‘The Reaper’ warned that Cannonier is unafraid of going out on his shield, which makes him a dangerous fighter. Whittaker said:
"Adesanya's would definitely be the favorite... he's got a bit of a speed advantage and reach and range, but Jared can definitely like turn it into a dog fight, make it rough and rugged and get in there, and make him uncomfortable."
Whittaker talks about Adesanya-Cannonier fight:
