The UFC champion beats everyone in his weight class. His opponent from Russia explained how you can beat him

UFC middleweight champion (84kg) Israel Adesanya lost his only fight in MMA, only when he moved up a weight class and lost to Jan Blachowicz in the weight class up at 93 kg. So far, there hasn’t been a person in the world who can flaunt 84kg on the scales and win the duel against Adesanya in 30 hours. They tried to do it 23 times – and now Israel have 23 wins in their professional career. Russian Murad Kuramagomedov was Israel’s ninth career opponent. Their fight took place in China in May 2016 and ended in a second-round knockout.

Now Adesanya doesn’t feel like a rival in the UFC, but he doesn’t have the brightest fights. Three straight fights resulted in a decision, and UFC editors, cutting out the best moments from his title defense, left 29 seconds over five rounds, in which there was only one blow to champion’s head. Loser Jared Cannonier hits better and more aggressively in this cut.

– Do you like to watch such fights? – a question to Kuramagomedov after UFC 276, where Adesanya again defended the belt.

“He always comes out to fight with confidence. We met when my career and his were just getting started, but he was confident then, and he’s confident now. It is clear that the public always wants meat, blood, but as an athlete, I understand Adesanya. He does his job. It’s a job for me and for him. It must protect the belt.

The only fight I didn’t like was against Romero. There, he was too assured, frightened.

“Weren’t you surprised that Olympic freestyle silver medalist Yoel Romero didn’t try to translate that day?”

– So, and you look at the rest of Romero’s fights – he can translate, but he has no control. What’s the point of translating if you can’t control it? He would have spent his strength and translated, but Adesanya would have risen the same way.

“It always seems to me that the person Adesanya is fighting with just needs to do a little more and that’s it. But it’s really hard, isn’t it, to hit him?

“That’s exactly what I thought when I worked with him. I expected to hit him, but in a percussive technique stand, it’s hard to get him. I’m the world champion in the clinch, I often fight in position, but I was surprised at how well he holds up. Plus his stamina and physical strength.

– Did you get hits in the rack?

– Yes, I shook it in the first round, but I couldn’t finish it. He started very well, I pushed him to the net, but it was difficult to hit. Everything works well for him: the legs, the body.

What would you do differently if you fought again?

– I only had 10 days to prepare, I fought on short notice. And all those 10 days I drove more weight – I didn’t watch his fights at all, I didn’t know what he was doing and how he was doing. If there was normal preparation, I would focus on wrestling.

– Do you have compatriots who came to MMA after wrestling, and now they tell you that it can be easily transferred?

– So I kind of knocked him down, but he gets up very quickly. He is physically very strong. I clung to it, and it just calmly got up using the net with my weight.

– How can he be defeated?

– Physical strength and struggle, like Jan Blachowicz. If I had time, I would focus on wrestling and gain more strength.

– And how exactly to transfer to the ground: pass in the foot or press against the net and withdraw it?

– From the grid. His timing is very good, it will be difficult to cast without a net. You have to press and then you can try.

– Alexander Shlemenko told me that few people pressured Adesanya well, they did not pressure him. Are you okay with that?

I agree, but in part. On my first ride, I pressed, interrupted in spots, and it worked. I felt like I was hitting well, but he also hits really hard.

– In the first round, he grabbed your leg and punched you.

– A classic of its kind for Thai boxing. He hit hard, I was led…

– In the second – did he hit you directly in the body and finish him off?

– There was a blow closer to what is called a low blow, but it was painful.

– What do you have to do to hit him in the rack?

– If in the rack, it is important not to let it work as the first number. Go ahead, work yourself as your first number. I think Whittaker fought him well in the first fight of the first round. Gastellum fought well with him: he also kicked him because of the pressure and interrupted him. Squeeze and you have to add timing and a sense of distance to it, because it has some really good ones.

– You probably trained with Vladimir Mineev. And he could fight Adesanya?

“He would have had a good fight with him. I think that among the Russian fighters in a standing position with him, Mineev, Shlemenko, Murad Abdulaev and Albert Tumenov could fight in the hands, however, they are somewhat easier [речь о последних двух бойцах].

– That is, when Kamil Gadzhiev says that Vladimir Mineev could fight with Adesanya, and they laugh at him in the comments, these people are wrong?

– Mineev could fight him on equal footing, because Mineev has a very cool punching technique. If he had prepared professionally near Adesanya, then Vladimir would have had a chance.

– And Mineev could not learn to translate Adesanya?

“It will be hard for him. He will devote too much energy to it and it will be difficult to hold him back. Adesanya will just stand up and Vladimir will devote a lot of energy to the translation.

“Does Adesanya weigh a lot?”

– When we fought, he almost didn’t drive weight. And it didn’t weigh much. And now that he’s become more athletic, it’s clear he’s gained weight.

– Magomed Ismailov, who has a good fight, plays in the same weight. Which of them would have a better chance against Adesanya: him or Vladimir Mineev, who is a bit fresher and has better kicking technique?

– I think the wrestler would have had more chances, but Magomed wouldn’t have had enough stamina for five rounds with Adesanya. It will be difficult to hold Adesanya down, especially if you are not big like Blachowicz who could control him with weight.