‘I Stole That From TJ’- Israel Adesanya Admits of Stealing a Takedown Technique From TJ Dillashaw

It’s been over two years since we saw the former UFC bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw in action. Now, as the suspension has ended, Dillashaw will make his much-awaited return to the octagon tomorrow night. He will fight Cory Sandhagen in the main card in a five-round bantamweight showdown.

Fans are expecting a dogfight, and rightly so because it’s a battle between two high-level athletes. Dillashaw is coming with full force, bringing all the tips and tricks that he has learned in his eleven years of training. Dillashaw is one of the most diverse strikers and loves to stand and trade, but he also possesses great wrestling and takedown techniques, as he was a former team Alpha member.

One technique that impressed the current middleweight champion Israel Adesanya is his sneaky takedown. In a breakdown video of the upcoming UFC Fight Night main event, ‘Izzy’ said, “I feel like this is gonna be a battle on the feet. But if someone’s gonna take it to the ground, TJ will. I believe he snuck it in there with the John Lineker fight. He was able to use that sneaky a** takedown.”

Israel Adesanya continued, “I’ve adopted it as well it’s one of my favorite takedowns. He drop shifts and then scoops the leg and with the body lock takes them down. It’s like a weird double leg with a judo trip… I know how to do it and yeah, I stole that from TJ.”

A comparison between TJ Dillashaw and Cory Sandhagen

Cory Sandhagen is a young hungry bantamweight who is on a quest to capture the UFC gold. ‘Sandman’, who has an impressive record of 14 wins and 2 losses, is coming off a crazy knockout victory over UFC veteran Frankie Edgar. Sandhagen would love to extend his winning streak to three by putting another veteran to seep on July 24.

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After all the controversies surrounding him, Dillashaw has a huge chip on his shoulders. The outcome of this fight will have a huge role to play in his future career and legacy.

Although he is considered as one of the greatest bantamweights, fans and fellow fighters trashed him after his suspension. A win for Dillashaw will open endless opportunities, whereas a loss will leave catastrophic effects and doom him to further criticism.

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Will we see Dillashaw use the technique that Adesanya stole from him?