Israel Adesanya is currently taking some time off for himself after an extremely busy schedule as a champion. Since beating Robert Whittaker to become the champion in October 2019, Adesanya has been the most active champion in the UFC. However, after his recent loss against Strickland, Adesanya decided to take some time to himself. It appears as though the former champion is using that time to improve the weak areas of his game. While this impressed fans, it left Khamzat Chimaev amused on Instagram.
A recent video shared by a fan page showed Israel Adesanya working on his wrestling. In the video, ‘The Last Style Bender’ was seen working on his takedown defence against the cage. The former champion was also seen defending takedowns as his training partners one after the other attempted to keep him down.
The footage portrayed Adesanya doing a very good job of not just defending the takedowns, but also being able to secure a mount in certain situations as well. While this video was well received by fans, fellow middleweight Khamzat Chimaev saw it differently. The 29-year-old commented using a number of laughing emojis at Adesanya’s wrestling footage.
‘The Last Style Bender’ is widely regarded as one of the best strikers to have ever competed in the UFC. However, wrestling and grappling still remain one of his weaknesses. This was exposed heavily by Jan Blachowicz in their title fight at UFC 259. Since then, Adesanya has mostly faced fighters who have elected to stand and trade with him. However, the recent wrestling footage suggests that the former champion might have a fight coming up soon.
Israel Adesanya honing his skills for Dricus Du Plessis?
Adesanya’s plan to take an extended break from the UFC might be cut short due to recent developments. Dricus Du Plessis won the middleweight belt at UFC 297 against Sean Stricland and called out Adesanya for a fight. It is understood that Adesanya is willing to return to the UFC as soon as possible to take on Du Plessis, as it is a fight that excites him.
However, in order to secure a win against Du Plessis, Adesanya will have to be on point with his takedown defence. ‘Stillknocks’ averages 3 takedowns every minute. He also has a takedown accuracy of 51% as well. There is no date rumoured yet for a potential fight between the two. However, the former champion working on his weakness will only ensure a closer fight for fans to watch.
