Israel Adesanya's impressive display of skill inside the octagon will see him compared to Floyd Mayweather, not flashy knockouts, according to a former UFC star.
Kenny Florian, a former featherweight title contender and Ultimate Fighter runner-up in his fighting days, believes fans will begin watching Adesanya fights not for the violence he promises at press conferences, but his intricate striking displays. The Nigerian-born fighter has come under criticism after a lacklustre win over Jared Cannonier on Saturday, despite winning every round.
And Florian believes Adesanya is ultimately going to end up attracting people with his overall game, similar to how Mayweather did in his prime. The legendary 50-0 boxer was known early in his career for big stoppages, but became much more defensive as it wore on and he continued to beat top names with his slick movement and style.
Speaking on his podcast with UFC commentator Jon Anik, Florian argued that it will become clear that Adesanya is one of the greats in the sport, despite not being a casual fan's favourite. "It's similar to a Floyd Mayweather," Florian said of Adesanya's appeal after his fourth decision in a row, and ninth of his 13 UFC fights.
"We didn't watch Floyd Mayweather because we were looking for this dazzling performance of overwhelming offence and a guy who was going to knock you out. He was there to show the art of boxing. The art of hitting and not getting hit.
"And I always talk about this, he would dazzle you with his defence. Adesanya has shades of that. He does similar things. You're watching more of an art from him than a guy who is like a Robbie Lawler or a Bryan Barberena who is going to walk forward like a juggernaut and just try to entertain you and make it a bloodfest."
Adesanya has brushed off those who slated his performance as he retained his belt and stayed undefeated at middleweight. He took one loss during his MMA career against Jan Blachowicz when he moved up to challenge for light-heavyweight gold last year, but has never been beaten in 23 fights at 185lb.
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He is now looking to avenge his kickboxing losses against long-time rival Alex Pereira, this time with UFC gold on the line. The pair fought twice during their ring days, with the Brazilian winning both times.
Pereira first took victory by unanimous decision in 2016, before viciously knocking out his rival in their 2017 rematch. Adesanya needed oxygen brought to the ring after the loss, but within a year had made his way to the UFC, where he became first interim and then undisputed champion the following year.
Meanwhile, the Brazilian was forced to wait until 2021 for his shot in the UFC, and has fought a considerably smaller number of opponents in the octagon. But he brutally stopped No.4-ranked contender Sean Strickland inside a round over the weekend, and is now touted as Adesanya's next opponent.
