MMA Squared Ep 20: Israel Adesanya Is Doing Everything Right

Hello, this is Chris. And this week on MMA Squared we’ve got nothing to complain about. We want to look at the simple yet effective approach Nigeria’s Israel Adesanya has used to waltz into a headlining spot in his third UFC appearance (in just under six months) at The Ultimate Fighter 27 Finale.

First, he scored a Performance of the Night Bonus in his debut while pissing all over the octagon, putting the rest of the middleweight division on notice.

While some fighters continue to sabotage their career trajectories by squandering valuable mic / screen time,

...The Last Stylebender has mapped out a title run that aims at smashing fellow prospects (the winner of Uriah Hall / Paulo Costa at UFC 226) and veterans (Chris Weidman).

Sure his ground game is as bad as his striking is good, but this is MMA and personality goes a long way.

When a prospect is hot and rising fast, we’re often full of questions:

“Can Conor McGregor stop the takdown?” “Will Brian Ortega ever win a round?”

With Adesanya, he has told us what will happen and how he wishes to be perceived.

The tension and anticipation lie in waiting to see just how his future unfolds. I do hope the UFC brings him along slowly because the middleweight division is full of grappling beasts at the elite level.

Thank you everyone who purchased a COMBAT WOMBAT t-shirt through cotton bureau. You are now able to express your own inner marsupial violence. You’ll be known... somewhere.

As always, you can email mmasquaredcomic@gmail.com, check in on twitter or visit chrisrini.com for more artwork.

Take care of yourself, and I’ll talk to you next week.

Chris Rini