“Be like water”- Coach Kavanagh advises Israel Adesanya to channel his inner “Bruce Lee” in Whittaker fight at UFC 271
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John Kavanagh- Israel Adesanya
UFC 271 cannot be any more interesting when you get two elite-level MMA fighters in Israel Adesanya and Robert Whittaker going against each other for the second time in a rematch. Since their first fight where Adesanya knocked Whittaker to dethrone the latter as the UFC Middleweight Champion and therefore become the new one, both the fighters’ have secured 3-straight wins in the middleweight division. Though unsuccessful, Adesanya even tried his hands on capturing a second belt by fighting for the UFC Lightheavyweight championship.
Now, nearly after 3 years, it is quite safe to say that there’s no closer competition to Adesanya as of now other than Whittaker. Both the fighters have elevated over the entire 185-lbs division in terms of the skillset. Now, many people have started giving their take on how the fight will go. This also includes SBG Ireland’s founder and UFC Megastar Conor McGregor’s head coach John Kavanagh as well.
Coach Kavanagh believes there’s no middleweight that could test Israel Adesanya on the ground game
Kavanagh gave an interview to FOX Sports Australia to talk dominantly about the future of Conor McGregor’s fighting career. A little while into the interview and he also gives his take on the rematch between Adesanya and Whittaker, along with notable advice for the current UFC Middleweight Champion.
“Be Izzy [Adesanya’s nickname], be like water,” says Kavanagh who’s using martial-arts pioneer Bruce Lee‘s famous “be like water” quote to tell Adesanya to just be himself. “And don’t be you know, I wouldn’t be overly concerned about him [Whittaker] bringing a grappling heavy matchup. Most guys have tried to grapple Izzy at some level… I don’t see anyone anyway in the middleweight class that’s able to trouble him in that area…
I certainly wouldn’t overly try to fill them [Whittaker’s advantages on the ground] with fear and worry about a range that maybe there’s a perceived weakness in because I don’t think there really is,” said Kavanagh. Kavanagh believes based on Adesanya’s fight against former UFC Lightheavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz that if he can grapple enough to survive on the ground against light-heavyweights, then there’s no such middleweight to make Adesanya’s ground game his weakness.
What do you make of Kavanagh’s assessment of Adesanya’s ground game? Who do you think wins between Whittaker and Adesanya in the rematch at UFC 271? Do you think Whittaker’s ground game and wrestling have anything troublesome in his arsenal for Adesanya? Or do you see the rematch repeat itself just like the first time?
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Abhai Singh Tanwar
(1386 Articles Published)