Israel Adesanya Ranked Over Conor McGregor, Jon Jones, and Diaz Brothers as UFC MW Champ Exercised “Control” Over the UFC Amid Dricus du Plessis Stunt

Chael Sonnen had an interesting takeaway from the Israel Adesanya and Dricus du Plessis face-off at UFC 290. The former UFC fighter turned analyst, known for his exceptional mic skills, thinks that the verbal spat shows Adesanya’s level of control over his career in the UFC.

Adesanya entered the ring after DDP’s victory over Robert Whittaker and challenged the South African. Their infamous face-off intensified their hostility and put it front and center in the UFC world. But why does Chael believe Izzy has more control over his career than the UFC legends?   

Jon Jones, Diaz brothers, and Conor McGregor’s disagreements with the UFC

On his YouTube Channel, Chael Sonnen said he thinks Adesanya has more control over his career in the UFC than any other fighter in the history of the UFC has ever exercised. And this includes Nick and Nate Diaz, Conor McGregor, and Jon Jones.

“I have never seen anybody come through this sport who has controlled their career more than Israel Adesanya,” Chael said in the video.

“Nobody has called their shot, and I do mean nobody- the Diaz’s have had a lot of power, Conor McGregor had a lot of stroke, Jon Jones knows who to call and when to call,” he added.

Jon Jones sat out for three years until his victory over Ciryl Gane at UFC 285 to become the UFC heavyweight champion. The heavyweight champion revealed on Steve-O’s Wild Ride! – Podcast back in 2022 that “I’m in no hurry to fight soon” and will not fight in the UFC “until I get paid what I believe I’m worth” he said.

And fans will remember Dana White’s infamous statement in 2014 that Nate Diaz “is not a needle mover”, i.e., he doesn’t draw in viewers, when he was at the peak of his popularity.

Conor McGregor was pulled from UFC 200 in 2016 after he refused to promote his fight against Nate Diaz while he was busy training for the fight. 

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Izzy has not had any such friction with the UFC, and this is part of the reason he thinks Izzy has more control, but he pointed to the DDP vs. Whittaker fight as further evidence. 

Israel Adesanya called for Dricus Du Plessis: Chael Sonnen

‘The Bad Guy’ thinks that the face-off shows that Izzy can greatly influence who his next opponent is. “He called for DDP, and he didn’t (just) call for him tonight, he also called for him tonight, (and) he got him tonight. But he called for him a long time ago.” Chael opined.

The West Linn, Oregon native believes that even though DDP wasn’t ranked high enough, he was given a match against Whittaker to decide who will be in the mix as Adesanya’s opponent.

“I have manifested this” Adesanya declared at UFC 290, and ‘Uncle’ Chael seems to agree.

Chael believes Adesanya has more control over his career than any other UFC fighter, and DDP’s fight against Whittaker and face-off with Adesanya is proof of this. Do you agree with Chael? Or do you think his analysis is flawed? Tell us in the comments below.

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