5 reasons why Israel Adesanya might struggle to outstrike Jared Cannonier at UFC 276

Current UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya is one of MMA's greatest strikers. In the upcoming UFC 276 main event, he will face rising middleweight contender Jared Cannonier in a bout many expect to be a comfortable win for Adesanya.

However likely that outcome is, it is not completely out of the realms of possibility for Israel Adesanya to experience a more difficult fight than he and many others expect.

While Jared Cannonier is not the sport's most technical striker, he is a patient power-puncher who is comfortable throwing low kicks at range. This might present a more interesting stylistic match-up than pundits and fans alike are willing to admit.

On this list, the reasons why Israel Adesanya might struggle to outstrike Jared Cannonier will be explored.

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#5 Jared Cannonier's low kicks

Jared Cannonier is a powerful and dedicated low kicker, having TKO'd UFC legend Anderson Silva via low kick at UFC 237. Against Israel Adesanya, his low kicks will serve him well given Adesanya's stance and tendency to lean away from punches.

Israel Adesanya fights from a wide stance, like his idol, Anderson Silva, with his lead leg a prime target for low kicks.

However, Adesanya is yet to fight an intelligent low kicker like Cannonier. Furthermore, he often leans away from punches, pulling back at the waist before darting back in with a counter-left hook.

What most of his opponents don't consider, though, because they are not low kickers, is that Adesanya's legs are always the last body part of his to exit range.

Cannonier, though, is a consistent low kicker who pumps out his jab. With every jab and power punch he throws, he can force Israel Adesanya to lean away before punishing his exposed legs with crippling low kicks.

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#4 Jared Cannonier is patient

The last opponent Israel Adesanya finished was Paulo Costa at UFC 253. Before that, he TKO'd Robert Whittaker in their first bout en route to becoming the undisputed middleweight champion. Prior to even that, he had TKO'd Derek Brunson.

All three of these fighters share a similarity when it comes to their distance management. Paulo Costa is a high-volume bruiser who comes forward, using pressure to sandwich his opponent between himself and the fence.

There, he uses a right-round kick to the body or head as a barrier to stop opponents from circling out on their left, and a left hook to the body to stop them from circling out on their right as he struggles to fight at range and operates mainly in the pocket.

Robert Whittaker has famously struggled against rangy fighters as seen from his past loss to Stephen 'Wonderboy' Thompson, his difficult win against Darren Till, and his first loss to Israel Adesanya.

Whittaker works best from mid-range when he can stutter-step into crisp boxing combinations. When forced to operate from long-range, he lunges forward recklessly.

Similarly, Derek Brunson often comes forward recklessly with his chin in the air as he dives for takedowns. All three fighters walked themselves into Adesanya's counters due to their reckless forward movement.

Jared Cannonier, by contrast, is far more patient. He uses his jab, never rushing in on his opponents as he throws low kicks to slow them down. It is unlikely that Adesanya will outstrike Cannonier to the point of a finish as Cannonier does not walk himself into counterpunches.

The fight is likely to resemble Israel Adesanya's split-decision win over Yoel Romero as opposed to a complete blowout.

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#3 Cannonier's rhythm game

Much like Mark Hunt and Lyoto Machida, Jared Cannonier understands that rhythm in striking bouts is established only to be broken. Beyond mere patience, Cannonier often slows down the speed of his jab, disguising its quickness along with the strikes he builds off of it.

He feints and throws slow, non-committal strikes to gauge his foe's reactions, all while setting a measured rhythm that his opponents inevitably grow accustomed to.

This renders Cannonier a relatively difficult opponent to make reads on. This is especially true when Cannonier suddenly shifts gears, throwing strikes much faster than before as he breaks the previously established rhythm to catch his opponents off-guard.

Jan Blachowicz made consistent use of different rhythms with his blitz when he fought Israel Adesanya, making it a more difficult fight for the middleweight kingpin. Similarly, Cannonier's varied rhythm will likely pose an issue for Adesanya as he will get no consistent reads to inform his counterpunching.

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#2 Cannonier is used to fighting taller, longer opponents

Cannonier is a former heavyweight and light heavyweight. Not only was he significantly undersized in his previous divisions, he will be significantly undersized against Adesanya as well.

At 6 feet tall and with a 77-inch reach, Cannonier is noticeably shorter than Adesanya, who stands at 6 feet 4 inches in height with an 80-inch reach.

Due to his experience against taller and longer foes, Cannonier understands how to manage distance because he spent a large portion of his career as an undersized competitor.

Overcoming Adesanya's height and reach will not be as challenging for Cannonier as it has been for the reigning champion's other opponents.

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#1 Israel Adesanya has become a more cautious fighter

While Adesanya remains one of the sport's most educated strikers, he has strayed from the flashier style that earned him his 'Stylebender' moniker. Since claiming the UFC middleweight title, Adesanya has become a more cautious and defensively-conscious fighter.

He spends the majority of his bouts low kicking and jabbing at range, rendering him less likely to steamroll Cannonier, and more likely to coast to a less dominant decision win as he no longer seeks finishes with as much intent.

This will also grant Cannonier more opportunities to impose his game without the threat of frequently devastating strikes getting in his way.