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Jiri Prochazka thinks Israel Adesanya's fighting style is closest to his own. Adesanya and Prochazka come from the traditional martial arts backgrounds of kickboxing and Muay Thai, respectively. Both fighters are known for their diverse and creative striking arsenals.
Jiri Prochazka gave his opinion on Adesanya while speaking to James Lynch in a recent interview. The Czech martial artist was asked to predict the upcoming middleweight title fight between UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya and Marvin Vettori. Prochazka did not give a direct prediction but hinted at his inclination towards Israel Adesanya by saying:
"I like both guys. But I like (Israel) Adesanya's fighting style; that's more impressive. I'm more in the fight myself with this style. But Marvin Vettori is an impressive guy too."
No.3 ranked UFC light heavyweight Jiri 'Denisa' Prochazka rose through the ranks quickly after making his UFC debut against Swiss knockout artist Volkan Oezdemir in October 2020. The knockout win over former title challenger Dominick Reyes in April 2021 has brought Prochazka to the cusp of a title shot.
He is being considered as a replacement fighter for the upcoming light heavyweight title fight between champion Jan Blachowicz and No.1 ranked Glover Teixeira at UFC 266.
Jiri Prochazka started his martial arts journey as a Muay Thai fighter and won the Czech National Muay Thai championship in 2011, shortly before turning into a professional MMA fighter in April 2012.
Israel Adesanya has had a formidable kickboxing career and is a former Glory middleweight champion.
Both fighters have brought the striking fundamentals of traditional mixed martial arts to the UFC. Prochazka, however, has become notorious for his unpredictable fighting style during his short stint and is a vocal advocate of traditional martial arts principles and philosophy.
Israel Adesanya will test his skills against Marvin Vettori at UFC 263
UFC Middleweight champion Israel Adesanya (20-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC) is set to take on No.3 ranked fighter Marvin Vettori in the main event of UFC 263 on June 12, 2021. The fight is a rematch of their 2018 contest that Adesanya won by split decision. While Adesanya controlled the striking department for most of the fight, Vettori was better on the ground.
Wrestling played a major role in Adesanya's loss to Jan Blachowicz in the light heavyweight title fight at UFC 259 in March 2021. Marvin Vettori also beat Kevin Holland using superior wrestling in his last fight, while struggling with striking yet again.
The biggest question heading into UFC 263 is if the fighters can make adjustments to their style. Adesanya clearly needs to work on his ground game and takedown defense, while Vettori needs to clean up his striking.
Which one will make the changes necessary? Sound off in the comments!
