“I am the greatest” – After Israel Adesanya failed to defend his title at UFC 293 ex-UFC legend asserts being the GOAT of the division
Chael Sonnen claims to be the greatest middleweight of all time after Israel Adesanya failed to defend his title at UFC 293.
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Chael Sonnen, Israel Adesanya and Sean Strickland (Image Courtesy: Imago)
Chael Sonnen claimed he’s the greatest middleweight fighter of all time after the UFC 293 shocker. Last weekend was wild for fight fans as Sean Strickland beat Israel Adesanya to become the reigning middleweight champion.
Sean Strickland was not at all the betting favorite going into the fight, but from the first round on, he displayed that he was there with a mission. After dropping Izzy once in the first round, Strickland never looked back and continued his dominance to win the fight via unanimous decision.
Most of the fight fans and experts were surprised by the upset and Chael Sonnen was no different. However, the retired fighter took this opportunity to unexpectedly claim that he’s the biggest middleweight in UFC history. He wrote in a recent tweet, “I’m assuming we all learned the same lesson last night. I am the greatest middleweight ever.”
Sonnen has always been a huge Izzy fan, but it seems he was disappointed in the fighter. Sonnen fought for the title twice during his UFC career, and both times he lost to Anderson Silva. Nevertheless, his claims to be the best ever in the 185 division can be a joke, but there is no confirmation about that.
Did Israel Adesanya’s legacy get affected after his UFC 293 loss?
Israel Adesanya made his mark in the UFC right from the get-go. He is a former kickboxing star who transitioned to MMA successfully and developed a strong defensive wrestling game to complement his primary skills.
Adesanya’s advantages lie in his height, reach, exceptional footwork, and wide range of techniques. He excels in both counter and lead striking, sets traps, manipulates distance with feints, and can create scoring opportunities. All this helped him become the middleweight champion, and his ability to fight twice was a testament to his active reign.
As he continued his stack of wins, as he expected, he was compared to the great Anderson Silva. However, Izzy has lost his title twice in the last three fights. Although it doesn’t take anything away from his legacy, it certainly affects his journey to become the greatest middleweight of all time.
Izzy bounced back from his last loss against Alex Pereira, and fans are expecting him to do so against Sean Strickland too. It would be interesting to see how the ‘Last Style Bender makes his comeback this time.
In case you missed it:
- “This guys never change,” Alex Pereira slams MMA experts for overlooking Sean Strickland’s title win over Israel Adesanya
- “Muslims brother, we’re coming for you” – Khamzat Chimaev gives VIOLENT warning to Paulo Costa as middleweight division splits open following UFC 293
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Soumya Ranjan
(2167 Articles Published)