Adesanya has not lost a fight in the middleweight division and has ruled out the chances of confronting fellow Nigerian fighter, Kamaru Usman, in the past.
Nigerian Ultimate Fighting Champion (UFC) Israel Adesanya has moved up to number 2 in the UFC men’s pound-for-pound rankings. Adesanya’s new position comes a few days after beating Robert Whittaker at the UFC 271 through unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 49-46) to retain his middleweight belt on Saturday, February 12, at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. Adesanya who is also popularly known as the “Stylebender,’’ put up a world-class showing to see off his Australian opponent for the second time after beating him in 2019. The Stylebender has now overtaken another Australian mixed martial artist, Alexander Volkanovski, who dropped to third in the latest ranking but is likely to move back to the second spot if he wins his fight on April 9, 2022, against China’s Chan Sung Jung.
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Kamaru Usman is placed first on the rankings, but the chances of squaring off against Adesanya is less likely owing to their relationship off the ring. Despite calls for a fight between both fighters by Usman’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz, they have continued to avoid the chances of clashing against each other.
Adesanya has maintained an unbeaten streak in the middleweight and only suffered defeat once in the light-heavyweight title fight against Jan Blachowicz. The Stylebender is likely to defend his title next summer against Jared Cannonier.
Source:
Daily Mail
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