Former opponent explains why he'd beat Israel Adesanya in potential UFC title rematch

UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya's former foe Jared Cannonier recently claimed that if he gets another shot at 'The Last Stylebender', he'd come out on top.

Cannonier and Adesanya squared off in the main event of UFC 276 in Las Vegas last year, with the champion emerging victorious via unanimous decision. It was a fairly lackluster affair, with both fighters taking a measured approach against one another.

In a recent interview with The Schmo, Cannonier revisited his preparation for his maiden UFC title bout last year, claiming that his team didn't have enough time to implement the skills needed to beat a skilled striker like Adesanya. 'Tha Killa Gorilla' added that when he gets another shot at gold, he will come away with the belt:

"When we got the call for Adesanya, we started working on some things that we were confident [was] going to work against him. It's just we didn't have enough time to really develop the skills and tactics we wanted to employ, but now I've ingrained those tactics into my veins. They just naturally come out of me and again, I'm just a better fighter now. So yeah man, when I get in there next time with whoever's the champ, it's going to be me coming out with my hand raised for sure."

Catch Jared Cannonier's comments below (5:19):

After his win over Jared Cannonier, Israel Adesanya lost his title to Alex Pereira, before winning it back earlier this year. For his next title defense, 'The Last Stylebender' is set to take on the winner of Robert Whittaker vs. Dricus du Plessis, scheduled for UFC 290 in July.

Meanwhile, Jared Cannonier will look to re-enter the title picture when he takes on fellow former title challenger Marvin Vettori next month. Currently ranked No.4 and No.3 in the middleweight rankings, this is effectively a title eliminator matchup.

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Israel Adesanya on potential trilogy bout against Alex Pereira

Alex Pereira held two wins over Israel Adesanya in kickboxing prior to their recent two-fight series in the UFC. 'Poatan' picked up his third win across combat sports against Adesanya at UFC 281 last year, finishing the then-champion in the fifth round via TKO.

Adesanya exacted his revenge at UFC 287 in Miami earlier this year, putting Pereira to sleep in their MMA rematch. Now 1-1 inside the octagon, a trilogy bout appeared to be next for both fighters. However, UFC president Dana White later announced that Pereira is set to move to light heavyweight, so a rubber match is off the table for now.

At the UFC 287 post-fight presser, Israel Adesanya claimed that Alex Pereira will have to earn a trilogy bout against him. The Brazilian was clearly fast-tracked up the rankings because of his history with Adesanya, who now wants his rival to beat a few contenders before fighting for gold again:

"I don’t keep score, I settle them. Now, it’s settled. I gave him the fast track to the belt. I could’ve said no. Who has he fought? He fought some alright guys. Then, he beat Strickland and I was like, ‘OK, fine. There’s no one else.’ But also, I was looking for that challenge. That guy beat me in kickboxing. That’s why I took that fight."

Adesanya added:

“I got that immediate rematch because of what I’ve done in this game. I did the hard yards. defended the title seven times. I earned my rematch. Now, he’s got to do the hard yards if he wants to do that, but I don’t think he’s going to."

Catch Israel Adesanya's comments below: