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Teddy Atlas Reveals a Similar Quality Israel Adesanya Shares With Muhammad Ali and Jon Jones

Published 01/13/2022, 8:30 AM EST

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There is no doubt that Israel Adesanya is one of the hottest names in the UFC currently. The middleweight champion has successfully defended his belt against some of the best fighters in the division. However, his upcoming bout against Robert Whittaker at UFC 271 is going to be a difficult fight.

In the wake of such an exciting fight, commentator Teddy Atlas had some great things to say about ‘The Last Stylebender’. While he is a great striker, Atlas went on to compare him to some of the biggest names of combat sports like Muhammad Ali, Roy Jones Jr., Anderson Silva, and Jon Jones.

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Teddy Atlas said, “Adesanya is a special talent. For me Adesanya, I’m going to be very careful comparing these, don’t go crazy out there. … I think of Adesanya in the UFC and he’s still developing, he’s still growing, he’s still getting better. He’s still expanding his reputation. But I think of the way that I thought in boxing of guys like Ali and Roy Jones.”

“… I’m not saying he is Ali, or he’s Roy Jones. He hasn’t had enough time yet. Give him more time. … To earn yourself to that place, a place that you probably can never earn to compare to Ali. But he’s different. He does things wrong, and he makes it right.”

Atlas further stated that the fighter also reminds him of Anderson Silva and Jon Jones because they are all at an incredible level.

Atlas also said, “He’s mentally at a very high level. That’s one of the things that made Jones special when he was special. And Ali’s special was supreme confidence to believe that they couldn’t get beat. I think Adesanya has that.”

“He Just Looked Beatable” – Robert Whittaker Weighs-in on Israel Adesanya’s Last Performance

‘Izzy’ is definitely a gifted fighter with the power to entertain the masses. Fans would be thrilled to see him defend his belt yet again against an equally good fighter, Whittaker.

Can Robert Whittaker defeat Israel Adesanya?

Both the fighters previously fought at UFC 243 and it marked Adesanya’s first title defense. Whittaker lost that fight via a T/KO. After two more title defenses, the champion challenged Jan Blachowicz for the light heavyweight belt.

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‘The Polish Power’ became the first MMA fighter to defeat Adesanya and, hence, exposed some of his weaknesses. According to ‘Bobby Knuckles’, Blachowicz has set a blueprint to defeat Adesanya. So, it looks like Whittaker has a new and detailed game plan to take down the champion.

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This is one title fight that fans do not want to miss.

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What is your prediction about this fight? Let us know in the comments below.

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Written by:

Rohini Kottu

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Rohini Kottu is a UFC Writer at EssentiallySports. She is also a Psychologist and has a Master's degree in Clinical Psychology. Rohini, in her role as a UFC writer, combines her admiration for the mental resilience that MMA fighters have and her love for analysis.
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