Israel Adesanya interrupted Jared Cannonier during the UFC 276 pre-fight press conference, jibing at ‘The Killa Gorilla’ while the latter was discussing their upcoming fight.
During the press conference, Cannonier was asked what makes him believe he can beat ‘The Last Stylebender’ and whether he’s worried about potentially ending up as cannon fodder. Cannonier responded by stating:
“Well, first and foremost, I’m the ‘Cannon Man.’ That’s the whole meaning behind my last name, the ‘Cannon Man,’ so look it up. So, I’m not cannon fodder. I’m the one who’s gonna be blasting, shooting cannonballs.” Explaining what makes him believe he can beat ‘Izzy,’ Cannonier said, “Self-belief. I don’t doubt myself.”
Speaking about self-doubt, Cannonier continued, “That’s asinine. That’s crazy. That’s retarded. No, that’s going backwards. No, I’m only trying to shoot up, trying to go up, trying to ascend higher and higher, trying to develop myself into the best version of myself, so that, uh…”
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‘The Last Stylebender’ capitalized on Jared Cannonier’s pause and interrupted by jibing at him. Israel Adesanya jestingly stated:
“Next time, keep it short and sweet, man. Keep it short and sweet.”
Cannonier disregarded Adesanya’s comments and continued. ‘The Killa Gorilla’ asserted that he does what he needs to do and is unaffected by anything people say or do. The 38-year-old highlighted that he's unafraid of engaging with someone face to face.
Watch Adesanya’s jibe at 11:44 in the video below:
Chael Sonnen believes Israel Adesanya vs. Jared Cannonier is a much closer matchup than the odds suggest
UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya is one of the most dominant fighters in MMA today and is unbeaten at middleweight. ‘Izzy’ is scheduled to defend his title against KO artist Jared Cannonier at UFC 276 on July 2.
Some oddsmakers have Israel Adesanya as the 4-1 favorite at UFC 276. Chael Sonnen recently addressed this and opined that the Adesanya-Cannonier matchup will be much more competitive than the odds suggest.
He believes it’s Adesanya’s popularity that’s made him such a huge betting favorite against a dangerous fighter like Cannonier. In an edition of Beyond the Fight, Sonnen said:
"Izzy is a +420 [favorite]. That's crazy in my opinion. I lean towards Adesanya but four to one, what are you talking about? I feel like this is a major case of perception being a reality. Who is the bigger name? Without question Adesanya but this follows our sport all the time and boxing is just as guilty."
Watch Sonnen's assessment in the video below: