Category Archives: Mmanews.com

Carlos Prates has been a fantastic edition to the UFC roster since earning his contract via the last season of the Contender Series.

The Fighting Nerds athlete has gone 3-0 inside the Octagon, stopping all three opponents with devastating finishes.

His latest win over Li Jingliang at UFC 305 set him up well for an even bigger name next time out, and given the fact that he has put on a show with each appearance, a ranked opponent isn’t out of the question.

When looking at the fighters that occupy the ranking sports from 15-10, one name in particular stands out to Prates.

Carlos Prates Reveals That He Emulated Michael Page For ‘MVP’s Only Knockout Loss

In a recent interview with Sherdog.com, Prates gave his thoughts on all of the potential ranked opponents that he could be matched with in the near future.

He revealed an interesting story from his earlier career when arriving at the name of one of the division’s most talented strikers.

Michael “Venom” Page is an incredibly difficult opponent to train for because you don’t find people that have his unique style combined with size and reach, very easily.

Prates said that he has been a stand in for “MVP” when he was training alongside Douglas Lima, who fought Page twice in Bellator.

In their first meeting, Lima would hand the Brit his first defeat at Bellator, via a ruthless second-round knockout.

Prates believes that after being a part of the camp for this fight, he has the secret to become the second man to stop Page.

“Michael Page would be a really good fight. I would like to fight him, it would be a great bonus again. You know the first time he lost to Douglas Lima? I was a sparring partner of Douglas. I was doing like MVP and Douglas was doing his game. He, Douglas and his coach, came to Thailand and we trained all together… So it’s kinda I know the way to knock the guy out.”

Read also: Shavkat Rakhmonov Trusts UFC’s Meritocracy To Prevent Conor McGregor Title Shot Hijack, Reveals Belal Muhammad Turned Down UFC 307 Date

Continue Reading UFC Contender Targets Michael ‘Venom’ Page Having Emulated Him In The Past: “I Know The Way To Knock The Guy Out” at MMA News.

MMA News

Although Jon Jones will most likely be booked to fight Stipe Miocic next, his rivalry with Tom Aspinall is also heating up on the sidelines. The interim UFC heavyweight champion is eager to unify the belts, requiring him to face the winner of Jones vs. Miocic.

Aspinall has bagged 15 wins since turning pro in MMA, and all of them have been stoppages via KO or submission. On top of that, he’s finished all but one fight in the UFC in the first round. This explains why fans consider him to be Jones’ real test instead of Miocic, who hasn’t fought since losing to Francis Ngannou in 2021.

Aspinall has looked unstoppable till now, but Chael Sonnen has concerns about him not being tested enough in the Octagon yet…

Chael Sonnen Highlights Striking Similarities In Early UFC Careers Of Tom Aspinall And Ronda Rousey

Sonnen discussed the rivalry between Aspinall and Jones on his YouTube channel recently. He believes that the interim champ bringing up the undisputed kingpin’s past PED usage was bound to rub the latter the wrong way.

“The American Gangster” then stated that a fight between “Bones” and Aspinall, if it happens, will likely be scheduled for UFC International Fight Week in 2025. It might be hard for Aspinall to get an opponent during this time as the interim champ, and his inactivity would work in favor of the former UFC light heavyweight champion.

Sonnen also revealed the downside of Aspinall firing through the competition with such ease so far. His rise to the top resembles Ronda Rousey, who had 11 first-round finishes in her pro career, including five in the UFC.

“I’m not sure you understand that. That is not helpful, that is not a good thing. It looks good and it sounds good, it’s not good! When you find yourself in a fight harder than you’re used to, it’s a problem for everybody. It is the number one reason that Ronda lost to Holly Holm. It was not the right leg kick. It was because the six other girls that Ronda had been in there with checked out collectively in a shorter time than Holly had made it. That was the problem. It’s a problem for everyone. There’s nothing you can do about it.”

According to the former UFC middleweight title contender, Rousey lost to Holly Holm because she wasn’t used to opponents surviving her initial onslaught. As soon as someone put her to the test, she was overwhelmed and it all came crashing down.

Sonnen fears that Aspinall might have similar problems if he takes on an opponent as durable and experienced as Jones. For now, though, there is no way to confirm whether we’ll ever see the two meet in the Octagon.

• READ MORE: ‘Everybody Suffers’ – Frank Mir Explains How UFL Could Get Past The Conor McGregor Effect Seen In The UFC

Continue Reading ‘It’s Not Good!’ – Chael Sonnen Predicts Tom Aspinall Could Suffer The Same Fate As Ronda Rousey Against Jon Jones at MMA News.

MMA News

Caio Borralho, who recently beat Jared Cannonier to become a top contender in the UFC middleweight division, is a member of Fighting Nerds. The mixed martial arts gym is based in São Paulo, Brazil, and has gained a ton of prominence in MMA circles lately.

Several members of Fighting Nerds have put up impressive performances recently. For instance, Bruna Brasil defeated Molly McCann at UFC 304, Carlos Prates became the first person to knock out Li Jingliang at UFC 305, and Jean Silva stopped Drew Dober just two weeks after knocking out Charles Jourdain at UFC 303.

Here’s why Fighting Nerds has the potential to generate multiple UFC champions according to Borralho, one of their most skilled members…

Caio Borralho Reveals Training Strategies That Have Helped Fighting Nerds Members Excel In The UFC

Borralho discussed what sets Fighting Nerds apart in an interview on the Inside Fighting YouTube channel recently. He highlighted that the gym focuses a lot on distance control and fighters are expected to break their fights into three stages. The first step is to establish range followed by constant movement to make the opponent miss.

From the looks of it, Fighting Nerds fighters aim to start their fights relatively slowly. Once they’ve figured out the opponent’s style and striking patterns, they prepare to close distance and aggress which is the third stage.

Borralho then revealed the rigorous practice that goes into perfecting their striking and distance management. For every opponent, they perform thousands of drills which explains why they’re so calm going into their fights.

Another important step during training is studying footage. According to “The Natural”, Fighting Nerds coaches compile videos of opponents to understand how they start fights, throw strikes and takedowns, and move around the Octagon. For his latest fight, Borralho studied almost all the right hands thrown by Cannonier.

“If we get a guy like Cannonier, like the right hand, like all right hands, almost like a lot of right video with just like big right hands of Cannonier. All his setting ups, you know, all his patterns and all this stuff. So, all take downs, all cage work that the guys do, how he behave himself in the cage work and then there’s like five six minutes of video only with cage work, you know. So, we’re very specific in our training. We have a very close approach when it comes about training and study, you know. And I think that help us a lot and I think this is it you know. We’re bunch of nerds you know!”

All in all, Fighting Nerds members make sure to know everything about their opponent before even stepping into the Octagon. Most of the gym’s fighters are gradually climbing the ranks in their respective divisions, and it’ll be interesting to observe how quickly they can generate a champion with this approach.

• READ MORE: ‘Everybody Suffers’ – Frank Mir Explains How UFL Could Get Past The Conor McGregor Effect Seen In The UFC

Continue Reading ‘Very Specific In Our Training’ – Caio Borralho Breaks Down What Makes Fighting Nerds Special at MMA News.

MMA News

The main event of UFC 307 is sure to be an exciting contest while it lasts as knockout artists compete for the light heavyweight title in Salt Lake City.

Many were surprised to see Khalil Rountree get the next shot at Alex Pereira’s title but in some ways, the match-up speaks for itself.

A lot is going to be made from now up to October 5 about Rountree’s comments regarding his willingness to stand and strike with the former GLORY kickboxer.

Despite rating his skills as a fighter and his conduct as a person, a former training partner of his isn’t sure that he can hang in there against “Poatan”.

Carlos Prates Can’t See How Khalil Rountree Will Compete With Alex Pereira On The Feet

In a recent interview with Sherdog.com, breakout welterweight Carlos Prates gave his thoughts on the main event clash at 205 pounds.

As someone who has spent some time in the company of Rountree, he was able to give an educated prediction for this fight.

Prates, like many, simply doesn’t believe that Rountree will be able to have success when striking with Pereira, even if he has been very effective on the feet.

The 170-pounder picked out Magomed Ankalaev, who many expected would be next for the title shot, as the only fighter that might be able to cause Pereira some problems, likely due to his grappling game.

“To be honest, I train before with Khalil Rountree. He’s a nice guy, he’s a good fighter but I don’t think he can fight with ‘Poatan’. ‘Poatan’ is a different level of striking. I also see an interview of Khalil, he saying he have no plans to try take down so I think he, the first round, ‘Poatan’ gonna knock him out and that’s it. In light heavyweight, maybe Ankalaev can fight good against him but that’s it. Other guys, I don’t think they win the fight against ‘Poatan’. now ‘Poatan’ is the guy of the moment, the guy of the UFC right now.”

Read also: Khalil Rountree Receives Lighter Sentence After Self-Reporting PED Usage

Continue Reading Former Khalil Rountree Training Partner Predicts First-Round Knockout For ‘Guy Of The Moment’ Alex Pereira at MMA News.

MMA News

The UFC heavyweight division has been a hot topic in MMA circles lately. Dana White is adamant about booking current champ Jon Jones against Stipe Miocic in 2024. On the flip side, fans seem more interested in seeing “Bones” take on Tom Aspinall who defended his interim belt against Curtis Blaydes at UFC 304 via first-round TKO.

Jones has yet to defend his UFC heavyweight championship since beating Ciryl Gane for it in March 2023. A shoulder injury forced him out of action for almost a year, and the delay in his return has led to many opposing Miocic getting a title shot despite not fighting in over three years.

Although there’s no guarantee that it will happen, Frank Mir has picked Jones to beat Aspinall if they ever fight in the UFC…

Frank Mir Believes Jon Jones Has A 90% Chance Of Beating Tom Aspinall In The UFC Heavyweight Division

Mir discussed a potential fight between Jones and Aspinall on the talkSPORT MMA YouTube channel recently. He acknowledged that the English heavyweight is quite skilled but just doesn’t see him beating the UFC light heavyweight GOAT in the next 12 months.

“Jon’s the GOAT of our sport right now. I get that Tom, and I totally don’t blame him. I would do everything if I was Tom Aspinall. I would do everything I possibly could, maybe show up at his house, get him pissed enough to take that fight because that could just catapult his career.”

The former UFC heavyweight champ believes that Aspinall won’t be able to submit or even take down Jones due to the latter’s superior wrestling. He backed this claim by mentioning Jones’ two wins over Daniel Cormier, arguably one of the best wrestlers to ever fight in the UFC.

“If you said, put my money down on it. If they fought this year or fought within 12 months from now, from what I know training with Jon, from what I’ve seen from Tom, I think Jon has about a 70 to 80, 90% chance of winning the fight.”

“If Tom closes distance, he’s never submitting Jon. And, Jon outwrestles him absolutely. They had a take down contest, he can’t take Jon down one time, zero. Absolutely zero. Jon’s wrestling is unreal. If Jon had gone a different path in life, and maybe had not problem in school, he would have absolutely been the Olympic world champion at wrestling, you know. That’s just the part of me. He outwrestled Cormier, you know what I mean? Cormier’s accolades in wrestling are through the roof.”

Mir added that Aspinall’s explosive and fast striking, especially for a heavyweight, could be his only way to victory against Jones. He remembered the likes of Vitor Belfort and Dominick Reyes who had success against “Bones” due to their speed advantage in striking exchanges.

Interestingly, former rival Quinton “Rampage” Jackson also favored Jones to win against Aspinall for similar reasons in a recent interview with Inside Fighting. The former UFC light heavyweight kingpin praised the interim UFC heavyweight champ’s skills but doesn’t think it’ll be enough for him to unify the title against the current undisputed champion.

• ALSO READ: Shavkat Rakhmonov Trusts UFC’s Meritocracy To Prevent Conor McGregor Title Shot Hijack, Reveals Belal Muhammad Turned Down UFC 307 Date

Continue Reading Former UFC Heavyweight Champ Joins Quinton Jackson In Favoring Jon Jones Against Tom Aspinall: ‘GOAT Of Our Sport!’ at MMA News.

MMA News

MMA teams led by former UFC champions Frank Mir and Henry Cejudo will go toe to toe at the United Fight League 5 on August 30, 2024, at The Gila River Wild Horse Pass Casino in Arizona. The sold-out event will be streamed on Kick and Rumble for free as well.

Mir and Cejudo coach UFL’s Team Las Vegas and Team Phoenix, respectively. Although the fighting rules are the same, the state-inspired teams and the team-based scoring system in the promotion are like a breath of fresh air in MMA. It is also the first and only combat sports league to provide health insurance to fighters.

Here’s how the UFL aims to set a new standard for combat sports promotions through its newly introduced scoring system…

Frank Mir Explains How Relying On Stars Like Conor McGregor Produces Inconsistent Results For The UFC

Mir appeared on the talkSPORT MMA YouTube channel to discuss UFL 5’s format and innovative scoring system. Including Las Vegas and Phoenix, UFL will have a total of eight teams with Rashad Evans and Quinton Jackson confirmed to lead Team Florida and Southern California, respectively.

Here’s how teams will score points at UFL 5:

• Finishing a fight in the first round grants 4 points in a standard bout and 6 points in the main event.
• Finishing a fight in the second round grants 3 points in a standard bout and 5 points in the main event.
• Finishing a fight in the third round grants 2 points in a standard bout and 4 points in the main event.
• Finishing a main event fight in the fourth round grants 3 points.
• Finishing a main event fight in the fifth round grants 2 points.
• A decision win grants 1 point in a standard bout as well as the main event.

In case there’s a tie after all the fights, the team with the least cage time will get the nod, bragging rights, and $ 50,000.

As per Mir, this is how the UFL aims to tackle the problem of being overly dependent on a limited number of stars. He claimed that the UFC benefitted heavily from Conor McGregor but the promotion will always produce fewer numbers when he isn’t fighting.

“It made sense to me because I was like, you know, it sucks because when fighters come and go. You know, he’s like, Conor is a phenomenal example. Conor moved the needle like no other fighter, but when he’s not on the card, or he’s not part of there, everybody suffers. He doesn’t know, not as many people are going to view the fights because he’s not fighting. And so, I was like, how can we get around that. And I always watch college wrestling and seen how, here in the States, you can have a guy from Iowa, you know, wrestling Penn State, Minnesota, and Ohio, and all these powerhouses of wrestling that have long traditions and they have, you know, a car stadium, it fills up 60,000 people.”

The two-time UFC heavyweight champ also stated how this isn’t an issue in wrestling. For instance, team-based college wrestling events in the United States attract thousands of viewers constantly despite the absence of huge names. Mir believes that a team-based setting helps them build loyal fans who care more about a team’s progress instead of just wanting to see one fighter.

It is too early to predict how commercially successful UFL’s new format will be in the long run. For now, fans can enjoy Team Phoenix vs. Team Las Vegas which features a bantamweight championship main event bout between Hunter Azure and Vince Morales.

ALSO READ: Shavkat Rakhmonov Trusts UFC’s Meritocracy To Prevent Conor McGregor Title Shot Hijack, Reveals Belal Muhammad Turned Down UFC 307 Date

Continue Reading ‘Everybody Suffers’ – Frank Mir Explains How UFL Could Get Past The Conor McGregor Effect Seen In The UFC at MMA News.

MMA News

Francis Marshall is living the dream of being a UFC fighter after competing four times inside the Octagon as a member of the lightweight roster.

His latest appearance saw him bounce back from consecutive defeats by besting Dennis Buzukja on short notice this past weekend at the UFC Apex.

Though Marshall is focused on keeping this dream going by continuing to pick up wins and evolve as a martial artist, he does have another pursuit and passion.

The 25-year-old doesn’t carry the nickname “Fire” just because that’s what he always looks to bring when stepping inside the cage.

Alongside his MMA career, Marshall works as a firefighter, though for obvious reasons, that’s currently on hold because of his fight career.

Francis Marshall Talks About The Rewarding Nature Of Being A Fire Fighter

In a recent interview with MMA News, Marshall spoke about his love for being a firefighter where getting to help others is incredibly rewarding for him.

Competing as a professional athlete has become a career option for him at this stage in his life so his other job has had to be left in the background for the time being.

That being said, it isn’t something that he plans on leaving behind for good depending on what happens during his MMA journey.

The 155-pound fighter said that being there for others in their most desperate time of need isn’t something he takes for granted, even if he’s competing at the highest level in MMA.

“Right now, I’m on the leave of absence from work so I’m training full-time. I got to see where my future goes. Obviously, I would love to fight forever and then see what happens after that but I mean, it’s a great career. It’s a great job, it’s great to help people like that. It was always like, you’re going to someone’s house on the worst day of their life like nobody wants that. So you kind of go there with the respect of that, with the courtesy, like you don’t wanna ruin their day anymore than it is. You’re going there to help so whatever that homeowner or that resident needs in that time, that’s what we’re kinda there for.”

Read also: Undefeated UFC Contender Targets Michael ‘Venom’ Page Having Emulated Him In The Past: “I Know The Way To Knock The Guy Out”

Continue Reading UFC Fighter Francis Marshall Opens Up About Career As Fire Fighter: ‘You’re Going Into Someone’s House On The Worst Day Of Their Life!’ [Exclusive] at MMA News.

MMA News

Khamzat Chimaev is set to return to action at UFC 308 where his fight with former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker has been rescheduled for the co-main event.

Despite the fact that he debuted in the UFC four years ago, it still feels like there are so many unanswered questions surrounding the undefeated contender.

Chimaev has an element of mystery and myth that still surrounds him, largely thanks to the stories you will hear from the fighters that have trained alongside him.

One of those athletes is the #5-ranked middleweight Caio Borralho who got some work in with Chimaev two years ago.

Caio Borralho Reflects On Experience Training With Khamzat Chimaev In Sweden

Borralho had two main takeaways from the time that he spent training with Chimaev in the past, as he detailed in a recent interview with Submission Radio.

His first major talking point was about the level of wrestling that his fellow middleweight contender brings to the table and how Whittaker will need to be working with the right training partners in order to prepare himself for this.

“I already training with him, spent some time in Sweden with him for his training camp against Nate Diaz, the fight that never happened. I was there training with him every day, was my main sparring partner for this camp and I think it’s a very tough fight for Whittaker ‘cuz Khamzat has very great wrestling and there’s one thing about Khamzat that people don’t realize too much. They don’t know what kind of level to expect from him. Like they know by seeing but when feel it, think it’s a little bit different. This kind of level of wrestling, of grappling, I think the best wrestler in the division is Khamzat and we saw how he dominated Kamaru Usman, that’s a great, great wrestler.”

Along with his wrestling pedigree, the other major characteristic of Chimaev’s approach to MMA has been his intense work ethic.

Borralho gave some insight into this by detailing one particular session where “Borz” continued to work after completing the sparring session for the day.

“He trains a lot, like I didn’t see any other guy in my life that trains as much as he trains. Maybe that’s why sometimes he like kills his body and doesn’t make it to the fight but definitely a guy that over train everyone in the room. There was a time that we did like five rounds sparring and after sparring, he did like three or four rounds of pads and then after that, he did like a 30-minute run and I was like, ‘What the f*** is this guy doing?’”

Read also: MMA Analyst Believes Israel Adesanya Following ‘The Khabib Model’ Might Have Led To Dricus Du Plessis Loss

Continue Reading Khamzat Chimaev’s Former ‘Main Sparring Partner’ Caio Borralho Warns Robert Whittaker: ‘I Didn’t See Any Other Guy In My Life…’ at MMA News.

MMA News

MMA fans worldwide are currently divided over Jon Jones defending the UFC heavyweight championship against Stipe Miocic next. This is primarily because Jones hasn’t fought since March 2023 and in the meantime, Tom Aspinall has solidified his claim on the undisputed title by winning and defending the interim heavyweight belt.

To add fuel to the fire, Dana White has missed no opportunity to call Jones the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world lately. He regularly shares this opinion on social media and even argued with the media for over 10 minutes about it recently.

Chael Sonnen has sided with White on the matter and has explained why fans shouldn’t complain about the imminent Jones vs. Miocic matchup…

Chael Sonnen Explains Why Dana White Won’t Cancel Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic For UFC Heavyweight Title

Sonnen reacted to White defending Jones vs. Miocic in a DWCS press conference on his official YouTube channel recently. The former UFC title contender reminded viewers that this match was booked before Aspinall knocked out Sergei Pavlovich in less than 90 seconds.

Sonnen remembered when “Bones” agreed to fight Miocic soon after his flawless win over Ciryl Gane. He pointed out that fans didn’t necessarily oppose the booking. However, things turned complex when the champ had to pull out due to a shoulder injury. He’s been out of action for over 18 months now, and the UFC still not confirming a date for his return is a bone of contention among many.

“This is really unfair, what you’re doing to Jon Jones. This is really unfair, what you’re doing to Stipe. It’s unfair that Dana White had to answer this question. So, let me take your short-term memories, down memory lane.”

Aspinall has been constantly calling out Jones as well since defending the interim UFC heavyweight championship against Curtis Blaydes at UFC 304. Yet again, he emerged victorious via knockout in the first and believes that he should now get the chance to unify the belts once and for all.

As per “The American Gangster”, White is correct in not disrespecting Miocic by taking away arguably his final shot at the title. The former UFC heavyweight champ hasn’t lost a fight or sustained an injury, due to which Sonnen believes that he still deserves to fight Jones.

“It’s the same fight with the same guys. They haven’t done anything different. Stipe has not slowed down. Stipe has not lost. He hasn’t done anything in front of you that’s any different. And I mean, I will just tell you, like, in this sport, you’re not wrong. Fans going to do what fans want. I understand it, but I don’t know if I’ve ever seen anything quite to this degree in an attempt to get Aspinall in there with Jon.”

“It turned nasty against Stipe. That’s the part that’s incorrect. As soon as Stipe falls on his face. As soon as he slips on a banana peal. Go ahead and go after him, that’s fair game, that’s this sport. That hasn’t happened. Stipe has not done that. Stipe has not done anything like that. As a matter of fact, he got a little bit longer to train and this is a consummate professional. He would’ve used that time very wisely.

Despite the backlash, it is safe to assume that the UFC will book Jones vs. Miocic sometime in 2024. It is also worth noting that Aspinall is guaranteed to be the backup fighter for this title match.

• Read More: Max Holloway Touted To Dispatch Ilia Topuria At UFC 308: ‘That’s Gonna Be His Downfall…’

Continue Reading ‘This Is Really Unfair!’ – Chael Sonnen Sticks Up For Jon Jones & Stipe Miocic As Dana White Defends Heavyweight Matchup at MMA News.

MMA News

Israel Adesanya failed to reclaim the UFC middleweight championship from Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 305. He lost the belt to Sean Strickland in a huge upset and for the first time in his pro MMA career, he has two consecutive losses on his record.

Like Kamaru Usman at welterweight and Alexander Volkanovski at featherweight, Adesanya lost his title after a dominant run in the middleweight division. He beat top contenders like Paulo Costa, Yoel Romero, Marvin Vettori, Robert Whittaker, and Jared Cannonier without much trouble.

While fans ponder what’s next for him, MMA analyst Luke Thomas shared his two cents on the decline of “The Last Stylebender”…

Luke Thomas Blames Israel Adesanya’s One-Dimensional Style For His Loss To Dricus Du Plessis At UFC 305

Thomas discussed why Adesanya’s dominant reign ended abruptly on his YouTube channel recently. He responded to a fan asking whether Izzy never developed his skills in accordance with other fighters in the middleweight division.

He pointed out two ways for champions to dominate their weight class. They can rely on a well-rounded style like Islam Makhachev who possesses dangerous wrestling alongside accurate boxing and kicks. Or, they can master one facet of their game like Khabib Nurmagomedov who was an unstoppable force due to his wrestling despite never having a commendable standup.

“You can be dominant in the UFC via two different models. One is, you are sort of well-rounded but you’ve got one ace in the hole. And you know, you can play the levels a little bit if you have to, but you kind of lean on your strengths. And that’s a common skill set like Islam is kind of like that, right? Or you can go a little bit more like Khabib where, you know, you can get by on the other stuff as long as you might need to for a couple of minutes. But you’ve got one skill set and it’s way better than everybody else and you just lord that over somebody like the Khabib model. Izzy was kind of always on that second model.”

According to Thomas, Izzy’s dominance at middleweight was similar to Nurmagomedov’s. He had decent takedown defense but outscored all his opponents on the feet. His wins over Whittaker and Alex Pereira exemplify this perfectly.

The combat sports analyst also highlighted that Adesanya never submitted an opponent in the UFC and most of his wins came in a similar fashion. He used this to explain why the former UFC middleweight kingpin couldn’t sustain his dominance like José Aldo, who’s still winning fights after making his promotional debut in 2011.

“He got pretty far but could you argue, had there been a little more development and weaponization of the ground game or a bare minimum like submissions, you know, had he got taken down and have to spend time constantly fighting or if his wrestling had gotten really good, what could that have done like Jose Aldo.”

Although Thomas brought up a couple of notable holes in Adesanya’s game, he called him the second-best middleweight of all time without a doubt. So, even though “The Last Stylebender” has struggled to beat the new generation of middleweights lately, one can’t deny that his striking prowess was enough to make him an all-time great.

• READ MORE: ‘This Is Really Unfair!’ – Chael Sonnen Sticks Up For Jon Jones & Stipe Miocic As Dana White Defends Heavyweight Matchup

Continue Reading MMA Analyst Believes Israel Adesanya Following ‘The Khabib Model’ Might Have Led To Dricus Du Plessis Loss at MMA News.

MMA News