Middleweight G.O.A.T contender. An unworldly striking skillset. Impossible to prepare for. Israel Adesanya returns this Saturday to face the unorthodox Sean Strickland at UFC 293.
‘The Last Stylebender‘ will re-enter the octagon for the second time this year, fresh off a devastating knockout win over long-standing rival Alex Pereira.
Many sport enthusiasts are prediciting another victory for Adesanya in the promotion’s return to Sydney. Here we look at the 34-year-old’s career to-date and fighting style ahead of UFC 293.
Career to-Date
Born in Lagos, Nigeria, Israel Adesanya has experienced a multitude of cultures throughout his life. His family settled in New Zealand at age 10, where he experienced difficulties at the hands of school bullies. His love of Japanese anime and manga would go on to forge the beginning of his MMA journey, as well as his nickname.
Adesanya started kickboxing at the 18-years-old, and following three years in the amateurs ammassing a record of 32-0, he turned pro. The Nigerian-born New Zealander moved over to City Kickboxing in Auckland, where he began to train with fellow future-UFC athletes Alexander Volkanovski, Kai Kara-France and Dan Hooker.
Under the tutelage of Eugene Bareman, Adesanya would put together a professional kickboxing record of 75-5. The at-the-time prospect often fought in Chinese promotion Wu Ling Fen, and made an easy transition into GLORY in Singapore.
‘The Last Stylebender‘s final kickboxing bout involved his sole career knockout loss at the hands of Pereira. The duo would soon meet once again, but Adesanya decided to swerve his career path into MMA. He remained unbeaten while fighting in Australian promotions such as Hex Fight Series, and was signed to the UFC in 2017.
He entered the promotion with a professional record of 11-0, all knockouts. His first five fights on paper are as tough as we’ve ever seen a prospect contend with. At 29-years-old, he had beaten Rob Wilkinson, Marvin Vettori, Brad Tavares, Derek Brunson and sporting legend Anderson Silva.
Nowadays, Adesanya has been involved in nine Welterweight title bouts, winning all but one. Career-best performances against Robert Whittaker, Paulo Costa and Pereira have made sure that the New Zealander’s name has remained at the forefront of the UFC’s talent pool.
His two losses have come to Jan Błachowicz in a bout to become Light-Heavyweight champion, and Pereira, who followed his nemesis into MMA with the ambition of overcoming him once again. Avenging this loss via brutal KO, as well as consistently staying active, has made Adesanya a notable force to be reckoned with.
Israel Adesanya Fighting Technique
Adesanya’s fighting style acts as a melting pot of various martial arts. Early kickboxing career aside, he incorporates techniques built from the foundations of Karate, Taekwondo, Boxing and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
A Karate skillset is particularly influential on kickboxing, especially it’s heavy emphasis on rapid, powerful kicks. Adesanya is widely-regarded as one of the most skilled fighters worldwide in this area. He utilises a plethora of perfectly-timed and accurate kicks, targeting his opponents’ lead leg and body in particular.
The 34-year-old also has a professional boxing record of 5-1. Combining this hand movement alongside a kick-heavy approach makes for a dangerous fighter on a variety of levels.
Perhaps what ‘The Last Stylebender‘ utilises better than anybody, however, is his repeated use of feints. He uses lateral hip and shoulder movements to trick opponents into thinking a strike is coming from one direction, when it is in fact arriving from another. This was a technique the New Zealander specifically exploited against Paulo Costa, who was often left second-guessing his defensive strategy.
Adesanya’s defensive prowess also leaves the most talented of stand-up specialists in awe. He absorbs the least amount of strikes per minute (2.88) compared to the middleweight division’s top contenders. Strickland absorbs 4.28 SpM, Dricus Du Plessis 3.79, Pereira 3.7, and Whittaker 3.39.
The 34-year-old is outstanding at breaking the striking ‘rhythm’ of his octagon counterparts too. Fans witnessed his most famous use of this when forcing Pereira into an early stoppage last time out. Despite being pushed up against the cage, absorbing a multitude of powerful strikes, Adesanya was able to time his counter shots perfectly inbetween ‘Poatan‘s efforts, flooring the Brazilian to the canvas.
Upcoming Fight vs. Sean Strickland
UFC 293’s main event will see Adesanya once again defend his 185 lb belt. It will be the fourth time the New Zealander has fought in Australia, beating Whittaker in his last Oceania appearance.
Strickland is seen by the masses as an unorthodox fighter. A brash-but-honest personality has made him a favourite amongst large sections of the MMA fanbase, as well as a will to stand and trade with the most lethal of opponents.
The American has been signed to the UFC since 2014, and competed at middleweight since 2020. This will act as his first ever shot for the 185 lb belt, and comes into the contest off the back of a duo of wins against Nassourdine Imavov and Abus Magomedov.
Although tricky to pin down, there are parts to his game that Adesanya can certainly exploit. Strickland is an extremely reactive fighter, often producing large movements and twitches in an attempt to defend his opponents’ strikes. As previously mentioned, ‘The Last Stylebender‘ is a world-class user of feints, which could very easily cause the American to react clumsily and leave openings in a number of areas.
Adesanya also has the advantage in terms of footwork. His upcoming opponent is slightly flat-footed in transitions, and side-on in his stance, which could create openings for the 34-year-old to attack the lead leg (as he has done so many times before).
Despite having a high number of SApM, Strickland does offer a superior striking defence percentage than a number of middleweights. The 32-year-old’s opponents fail to connect 62% of the time, compared to Pereira (51%) and Du Plessis (53%).
Adesanya is entering Saturday’s bout as the overriding -600 favourite. Strickland, on the other hand, is valued at +450. UK fans will once again be ecstatic with another daytime card, with preliminary action set to begin at 11:30am B.S.T.
Do you think Israel Adesanya will beat Sean Strickland at UFC 293? Where will you be tuning in from? Let us know in the comments below.
Featured image credits to Embed from Getty Images
