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Nigerian born New Zealander Israel Adesanya's rise to the pinnacle of the UFC middleweight division has been nothing short of extraordinary. The charismatic kickboxer is undefeated in professional MMA (18-0) and since his UFC debut in February 2018, Adesanya has won seven fights and won the interim as well as the undisputed UFC middleweight championship titles.
His terrific resume coupled with his unique personality earned him the award for 2018 Breakthrough Fighter of the Year, and according to former UFC welterweight champion, Tyron Woodley, 'The Last Stylebender' can only get better with time. (h/t MMA Fighting)
Adesanya following in the footsteps of McGregor, says 'T-Wood'
On his show with TMZ named 'The Hollywood Beatdown', Woodley was all-praises for Adesanya and said that it won't be long before Adesanya's popularity reaches similar heights as that of the man considered as the benchmark of super-stardom in the world of combat sports, the former UFC featherweight and lightweight champion, Conor McGregor.
To be honest, I think Israel is going to evolve into a star right underneath Conor McGregor. It’s hard to deny him. He fights crazy, he has great I.Q., he’s tough, he’s shown he can take punches, he’s with the sh*t, he’s gonna talk sh*t in the press conferences, his entrance was the best entrance we’ve ever seen in mixed martial arts - even when Conor had a live music playing in the top, it superseded that in my opinion - [and] he’s getting better with time.
Woodley would love to lock horns with 'The Last Stylebender'
After Adesanya won the middleweight title at UFC 243 in spectacular fashion, knocking out Robert Whittaker, 'T-Wood' said that he would love to square off against Adesanya and even though the pair is on good terms, Woodley reiterated the fact that he is still vying to bring the match up to fruition in the near future.
For me, I like fights that excite me. It’s like a respect thing, so if I can get in front of somebody like Carlos Condit or Robbie Lawler back in those days, that pumped me up. Israel is that guy. I know talent from a mile away, I know star power from a mile away. He, in the next two years, will be right underneath Conor McGregor.
Do you think Woodley and Adesanya should square off sometime down the line? Let us know in the comments section below.
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