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Kamaru Usman has revealed what he believes his good friend Israel Adesanya must do in order to emerge victorious against Jared Cannonier at tonight’s UFC 276 event. Speaking to ESPN MMA, Usman asserted that ‘The Last Stylebender’ needs to control the distance and the angles to beat Cannonier.
Apparently, ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ views Cannonier as a great stylistic matchup for Adesanya. While indicating his belief that Adesanya will likely defeat 'The Killa Gorilla' at UFC 276, Usman stated:
“Well, for him [Adesanya], I just think, stylistically, this is an incredible matchup for him. Because as long as he’s able to do what he does best – which is able to control the distance, control the angles – he’s very, very difficult for guys to be able to figure out.”
“Because he’s on a different rhythm and a different count than most of these other fighters. And that’s what I think sets him apart... His name signifies everything that he is. He is a ‘Stylebender’, the way that he’s able to mix things up.”
Kamaru Usman opined that if Israel Adesanya is able to do what he usually does, he should beat Jared Cannonier and successfully defend his middleweight title. Usman, who’s the reigning UFC welterweight champion and the No.1-ranked pound-for-pound men’s UFC fighter, is set to return to the octagon next month.
Usman will defend his UFC welterweight title in a rematch against Leon Edwards at UFC 278 on August 20th. Their first fight in December 2015 saw Usman defeat Edwards via unanimous decision.
Watch Usman address the topic at 0:51 in the video below:
Dana White believes Israel Adesanya’s new approach will make his fight with Jared Cannonier even more exciting
UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya will put his belt on the line against Jared Cannonier in the headlining matchup at UFC 276 tonight. In a recent interview with Yahoo! Sports’ Kevin Iole, UFC president Dana White discussed the Adesanya-Cannonier matchup and lauded both fighters for being knockout artists.
Israel Adesanya has been hinting that he doesn’t want to just win his fights, but aims to do so in spectacular fashion. Dana White referenced this and suggested that Adesanya’s desire to score flashy stoppage victories would ensure that he engages in a gunfight with Cannonier. White said:
“He [Adesanya] is looking for highlights now, he wants to start finishing people with incredible finishes. It's got incredible written all over it... So this should be an absolute gunfight. I don't see either guy coming in trying to wrestle or get this thing to the ground, I see a gunfight coming."
Watch White's interview in the video below:
