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John McCarthy believes that Kamaru Usman would be a bad matchup for reigning UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya.
Although the pair are unlikely to cross paths inside the octagon, McCarthy and Josh Thomson discussed a potential fantasy clash between UFC world champions Adesanya and Usman during a recent episode of the Weighing In podcast.
McCarthy feels that Usman's skillset would cause a lot of problems for 'The Last Stylebender', who likes to keep the fight on the feet. The former referee also doesn't think that Usman would try to stand and trade with Adesanya.
He believes that 'The Nigerian Nightmate' would follow the blueprint laid out by Jan Blachowicz at UFC 259 instead and take Adesanya down using his prolific wrestling skills. 'Big' John said:
"That's a tough matchup and that's a hard fight for Izzy... Usman can go to his wrestling and create situations that possibly puts Adesanya on his back. We saw what happened when Blachowicz was able to get the takedowns against Izzy. I'm not saying that Kamaru is as physically strong as Blachowicz, but he ain't weak...You would hope that he [Usman] doesn't [strike with Adesanya], he fights the smart fight and says, 'I'm going to use my hands to get my takedowns and take him off his feet, take him out of his danger zone.' ... I would lean towards Kamaru Usman actually winning that fight."
Watch the podcast below:
Josh Thomson claims Israel Adesanya is unlike any opponent Kamaru Usman has fought
Josh Thomson, however, doesn't agree with McCarthy's take. According to him, Adesanya would have the edge in a clash with Usman.
The former UFC fighter pointed out that the Nigerian-born New Zealander's movement is too slick. He also noted that Adesanya is hard to take down in the first place, yet alone subsequently keep pinned down on the ground.
He claimed that Adesanya's reach advantage would help him maintain distance and keep tagging Usman at will. Thomson further added that Adesanya's striking is very unpredictable and unlike that of any of Usman's opponents thus far.
"I think the speed of Izzy's going to be some big problems for him [Kamaru Usman], not only the speed but the reach and the style... Here's the thing, no one, no one that that Usman has fought is as crafty as Izzy on the feet. There's gonna be kicks and punches coming from different angles, the speed of that jab, this combination mix up uppercuts."
While it will be a dream come true for fans if they ever collide down the line, it is unlikely that a fight between Israel Adesaya and Kamaru Usman will ever come to fruition. Both fighters belong from Nigerian heritage and have mentioned on several occasions that they do not wish to fight one another.
