Saturday, July 2nd (10:00 PM EST Main Card, 8:00 PM EST Prelims, 6:00 PM EST Early Prelims) Israel Adesanya vs. Jared Cannonier WATCH - We love to romanticize the most dominant champs. They are world beaters, unstoppable forces, to be looked at with awe and admiration as they stomp all over the contenders with ease. But is that truly how it was in the height of their reigns? You might picture GSP's finish victories over Matt Hughes, Matt Serra, and B.J. Penn that defined his popularity, but when hearing GSP's name how often do we remember how annoyed or bored fans were by his last 7 title defenses that all went to decision? The middleweight champion Adesanya is in that position now, feeling more removed each day from the brutal finishes of Whittaker and Costa early on in his reign. #2 Cannonier is a hard hitter and used to winning with vicious knock-out power, but this style leaves him vulnerable to getting pieced up himself which presents a unique opportunity for Adesanya to remind the fans why they used to love him. The question remains whether Adesanya will take the risks necessary to bring the fight to Cannonier, or if he is comfortable being the boring and risk-averse champion so many see him as now.
UFC 276 | Main Card Preview
UFC 276 | Main Card Preview
UFC 276 | Main Card Preview
Saturday, July 2nd (10:00 PM EST Main Card, 8:00 PM EST Prelims, 6:00 PM EST Early Prelims) Israel Adesanya vs. Jared Cannonier WATCH - We love to romanticize the most dominant champs. They are world beaters, unstoppable forces, to be looked at with awe and admiration as they stomp all over the contenders with ease. But is that truly how it was in the height of their reigns? You might picture GSP's finish victories over Matt Hughes, Matt Serra, and B.J. Penn that defined his popularity, but when hearing GSP's name how often do we remember how annoyed or bored fans were by his last 7 title defenses that all went to decision? The middleweight champion Adesanya is in that position now, feeling more removed each day from the brutal finishes of Whittaker and Costa early on in his reign. #2 Cannonier is a hard hitter and used to winning with vicious knock-out power, but this style leaves him vulnerable to getting pieced up himself which presents a unique opportunity for Adesanya to remind the fans why they used to love him. The question remains whether Adesanya will take the risks necessary to bring the fight to Cannonier, or if he is comfortable being the boring and risk-averse champion so many see him as now.