via Imago
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – MARCH 06: Jan Blachowicz of Poland celebrates after his victory over Israel Adesanya of Nigeria in their UFC light heavyweight championship fight during the UFC 259 event at UFC APEX on March 06, 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
via Imago
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – MARCH 06: Jan Blachowicz of Poland celebrates after his victory over Israel Adesanya of Nigeria in their UFC light heavyweight championship fight during the UFC 259 event at UFC APEX on March 06, 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya spoke to Aaron Bronsteter ahead of UFC 263 set to take place on Saturday night. ‘The Last Stylebender’ returns to middleweight to defend his strap for the third time against Marvin Vettori. Both men met back in 2018 and Adesanya pulled off a split decision win against ‘The Italian Dream’.
Since then, Adesanya’s stock has continually risen to the point where he aimed to become a double champion at UFC 259. However, his bid to become ‘champ champ’ will have to wait, seeing as Jan Blachowicz handily won their fight. The Polish light heavyweight champion used crippling top control in the last rounds to ensure the judges handed him the UD win.
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Israel Adesanya reflects on Jan Blachowicz’s game plan
Bronsteter asked Adesanya about Blachowicz‘s top pressure and if it ended up being the deciding factor in their fight. Israel Adesanya acknowledged Jan Blachowicz’s comprehensive game plan and lauded his ability to posture up. However, he was confident in his own ability to win the striking exchanges if he had slipped out from under Blachowicz.
via Imago
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – MARCH 06: (R-L) Jan Blachowicz of Poland punches Israel Adesanya of Nigeria in their UFC light heavyweight championship fight during the UFC 259 event at UFC APEX on March 06, 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
“Yes, [Blachowicz was heavy on top] because he put the pressure on and he didn’t really try and do anything to finish the fight until the last 10 seconds until he heard the clapper of the last round, then he kind of postured up.”
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“If he had done that earlier on, postured up, that would have given me, he knew that if he gave me any space, I’d slip out. So he just stayed really heavy on me on purpose and used his size, which was smart of him. He did just enough, so the referee didn’t stand him back up because he knew if he stood him back up, he was in danger.”
Adesanya has put the loss to Jan Blachowicz behind him. Now, he is keen to make his mark on the middleweight division. A decisive win over Marvin Vettori at UFC 263 will go a long way in undoing the damage caused by his first pro-MMA defeat. However, as MMA is a fickle sport, one statement performance is usually enough to get things back on track.
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