Israel Adesanya finally defeated Alex Pereira to reclaim his middleweight title and at the same proved his mettle as one of the best middleweight fighters in UFC’s history. UFC legend and analyst Chael Sonnen weighed in on the situation and believes that ‘The Last Stylebender’s UFC career has been on a better path than even Conor McGregor‘s.

‘The Last Stylebender’ landed a 4-punch combination on ‘Poatan’ that saw him take home the win last weekend. No one can debate Israel Adesanya’s position as the top middleweight fighter in the promotion after defeating the top five ranked fighters in the division. He has become one of UFC’s biggest stars since capturing the UFC title back in 2019.

Chael Sonnen claims Israel Adesanya has handled his UFC better than Conor McGregor

‘The American Gangster’ claims that the kind of entertainment Israel Adesanya brings to the table has never been seen before in the UFC. He told combat sports journalist Ariel Helwani, “You’ve only got three opportunities – your way to the ring, what you’re doing in the ring, and your way out of the ring. He [Adesanya] will entertain you in all three.”

Sonnen praises the way Adesanya has handled his UFC career so far, even better than UFC megastar Conor McGregor. “Nobody has steered their own career, and I do mean nobody. Conor’s [McGregor] got a lot of pull,” said the UFC legend. He added, “Even Conor has not chosen his next opponent on his own and let us know more than Adesanya.”

Sonnen also mentioned how Izzy defeated Robert Whittaker, then took on Paulo Costa, and continued to follow the same pattern last weekend in Miami. He said, “I have to believe that he [Adesanya] set the table and let us know. I don’t think he does anything on accident.”

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‘The American Gangster’ calls the reigning middleweight champion a massive star

Sonnen claims that Israel Adesanya is one of the major stars UFC has right now because he backs what he says inside the Octagon. Sonnen said, “He [Adesanya] is a massive star. He has the ‘It’ factor and he can back up.” The UFC legend also claims that the Nigerian-born fighter is a combination of a good and tough fighter, which is very rare to find.

“You either got to be really good or you got to be really tough. And very seldomly are you both,” said Sonnen. He added, “Most really good guys, and he’s [Adesanya] is really good, aren’t tough. He had an opportunity to deal with adversity and overcome.”

READ MORE: Alex Pereira Claims He Suffered From Injury That “Messed” Him Up Heading Into His Rematch With Israel Adesanya at UFC 287

Chael Sonnen claims that this month has been one of the most spectacular moments in MMA history after Adesanya’s win over his arch-rival. We will have to wait and see with whom the reigning champion will fight to defend his middleweight title next.

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