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via Imago

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via Imago

Israel Adesanya might be one of the most gifted strikers the UFC has ever seen. Well, ‘The Last Stylebender’ landing 1,193 significant strikes, second only to his bitter rival Sean Strickland’s 1,465 in the current middleweight division, should prove that. However, that doesn’t mean there’s no room for growth! The former two-time middleweight champion has already started working to tweak his weapons.

It’s not a stretch to say that Adesanya is currently going through the roughest patch of his 7-year UFC career. Being on a three-fight losing streak might not be digestible for many fans of the sport, but his stock hasn’t fallen much thanks to his already cemented legacy. Because of that, the callouts keep coming.

Reinier de Ridder, after getting a razor-thin victory against Robert Whittaker at UFC Abu Dhabi, didn’t shy away from calling out the UFC 319 winner. However, he also wouldn’t mind a scrap with Adesanya. As he told Inside Fighting, “He (Israel Adesanya) still has the best record, he defeated Pereira in his last fight, and he fights so elegantly. For me, this is a more significant reason to have a fight rather than with a guy who demands it on the basis that he simply hates me.”

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Well, that might be a spectacle nobody would want to miss. But, shortly after the callout, Israel Adesanya posted a video with Alexander Volkanovski on his YouTube channel, where ‘The Great’ seemed to be on coaching duty, giving ‘The Last Stylebender’ some direction. The Aussie said, “I put your bar and then you try to do that. Is that the normal one? Yeah, there you go! And then lock it like there’s a generator now. Like it’s not in front of you. It’s locked and then boom!” As he demonstrated how to counter a right hand.

For those wondering, Volkanovski was trying to fix Adesanya’s abrupt stance-switching mistake, which caused the first-round knockdown against Sean Strickland at UFC 293, and also the right-hand knockout against Nassourdine Imavov at UFC Saudi Arabia. So, as the Nigerian-Kiwi tries to get back to his glory days, there’s no better teacher than his City Kickboxing mate! Also, who knows? He might face Reinier de Ridder in his comeback fight!

While fans would be all in for that clash, a UFC legend believes ‘RDR’ fighting Adesanya might hurt his chances of becoming the number one contender. So, let’s dive into that. 

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Chael Sonnen believes Reinder de Ridder shouldn’t have called out Israel Adesanya  

‘RDR’ feels that he’s just one step away from challenging for the middleweight gold. And it wouldn’t be wrong to think that he called out Israel Adesanya with the idea that it could be a number one contender fight. The final step on the ladder before the ultimate prize. However, Chael Sonnen believes he made the wrong callout altogether.

‘The Bad Guy’ in a recent YouTube video said, “He calls out Israel Adesanya, but he got more specific. It was a great callout, but it was the wrong guy. And the only reason that’s a problem is that beating Adesanya doesn’t make you a number one contender. But there’s also a representation that RDR (Reinier de Ridder) is not understanding where he’s at.”

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What’s your perspective on:

Can Adesanya's legacy withstand his losing streak, or is it time for a new middleweight king?

Have an interesting take?

Sonnen didn’t exactly explain why beating Adesanya wouldn’t make De Ridder a prime contender. But he might’ve said that with the idea that Adesanya is currently on a losing streak, and beating him at the lowest point of his career might not carry the same weight. That could be fair, but at the same time, Adesanya is still a former champion, and getting a win over him would mean something to the matchmakers.

That being said, do you actually see Israel Adesanya getting better and finally getting back on track if he defeats Reinier de Ridder in a future fight? Comment down below!

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Can Adesanya's legacy withstand his losing streak, or is it time for a new middleweight king?

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