UFC
Legendary boxing coach praises Adesanya: ”He’s Muhammad Ali”
Muhammad Ali, George Foreman and Israel Adesanya
This Past Saturday, Israel Adesanya reclaimed the UFC middleweight championship by knocking out the dangerous heavy-hitting champion Alex Pereira at UFC 287.
In the second round, Izzy was backed to the cage and absorbed heavy shots before turning things around with a massive right hand that floored his rival.
”At that moment, I transported somewhere else in my mind,” old-time boxing coach and boxing expert Teddy Atlas recently said, claiming that the fight was a flashback to Muhammad Ali’s classic 1974 title fight ’Rumble in the Jungle’ against George Foreman.
“I looked at this, I said ‘Oh my god, this is eerily similar and reminiscent of something that I know. Something I’ve seen before.’ And you know what it was? Zaire, it was Zaire. It was George Foreman and Muhammad Ali, and Ali late in the fight playing the rope-a-dope. And all the big shots from the monster – and Pereira’s the monster – the big bully if you will, the big powerful guy that can knock a tree down.”
Read more: Top 5 iconic Muhammad Ali fights
Israel Adesanya has ”the mindset of Ali”
According to Atlas, Israel Adesanya has the same mentality and skills as the legendary boxing champion Ali.
”He was Foreman, he represented Foreman. Pereira was Foreman, undefeated, the whole thing. And he’s throwing these shots… and he’s doing the cage-a-dope. He’s against the cage, and I’m watching him I said ‘Oh my goodness, oh my god, he’s Ali right now. He’s Muhammad Ali.’ The mindest, everything. Where’s he’s got this monster in front of him, he knows what he’s gonna do.”
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