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“Was Diving for the Legs Like a F**king Beggar”- Israel Adesanya Breaks Down His Brutal Knockout Win Over Derek Brunson

ByKevin Binoy

Nov 26, 2021 | 7:58 AM EST

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Israel Adesanya entered the UFC with a lot of hype around him and rightfully so. ‘The Last Style Bender’ had an illustrious career as a kickboxer securing wins over some of the biggest names in the sport with an impressive record of 75 wins and only 5 losses.

Adesanya absolutely demolished the first few men that were put in front of him and quickly became a fan favorite. However, many believed that a fight against a wrestler would determine whether or not Adesanya was champion material.

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‘The Last Style Bender’ was matched up against Derek Brunson at UFC 230. Many fans and pundits alike believed that Brunson’s wrestling would be too much for Adesanya. However, ‘Izzy’ put on clinical performance and earned a stoppage win over Brunson. It was without a doubt his fight over Brunson that launched him into superstardom in the UFC and established him as one of the best fighters in the promotion.

Israel Adesanya breaks down his stoppage win over Derek Brunson at UFC 230

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On his YouTube channel, Adesanya broke down his win over Brunson. He said, “This fight had a lot of spiciness to it. I knew when it was time to shine, I’d f**k him up.I was so relaxed and so calm… You look at [Brunson’s] eyes, this guy was shook. He was really feeling the heat of the moment. I could see it in him, so I knew, ‘you ain’t about that life. That sh*t you’ve been talking, you’re gonna pay for.”

‘Izzy’ continued, “This is the fight, everybody was saying [I] haven’t fought a wrestler like Brunson, he hasn’t fought a guy with one-punch knockout power like Brunson. He’s gonna do this, gonna do that. He’s gonna get ragdolled. Blah, blah, blah, slammed on his head. I heard it all before this fight. “[Brunson] was diving for the legs like a f*king beggar’… I love grappling but I’m like, do something with it. He was just trying to stall, he didn’t do sh*t. He knew he was f*ked, he had nothing for me on the striking.”(h/t middleeasy.com)

Since his loss to Adesanya, Brunson has been on a tear in the middleweight division. He is on a five-fight win streak, with wins over the likes of Kevin Holland and Darren Till among others. Adesanya is set for a rematch against Robert Whittaker early next year. If he is able to hold onto his title, it won’t be long before he has to face Brunson once again if he is able to secure another win under his belt.

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How do you think a rematch between Israel Adesanya and Derek Brunson plays out? Let us know in the comments below!