"They just become completely almost defensive" - Israel Adesanya says his last three opponents went from trying to beat him to "trying to survive"

Israel Adesanya claimed in a recent interview that his last three opponents went from trying their hands at beating him to survival mode midway through the fight. Recently, Adesanya has received a lot of criticism from the MMA community for his lack of eagerness to finish fights.

Israel Adesanya made the fifth successful defense of the middleweight throne against Jared Cannonier at UFC 276. While some fans claim that Adesanya's last three fights were typically humdrum, MMA experts were fascinated by his impregnable defense and elite movement.

Having had time to reflect back on his performances, 'The Last Stylebender' recently gave his take on the outcome of the bouts. Speaking to Combat TV, Adesanya pointed out that his opponents went from trying to beat him to "trying to survive":

"I have had time to sit back and watch it again. I saw exactly what happened. I was dominating the guy [Jared Cannonier] who I guess wasn't willing to leave it out there. After the first round, and halfway through the second round, the last three guys, they kinda realized that this is not going to well. They go from trying to beat me, to trying to survive and not get knocked out."

Adesanya added:

"They try their best and then after the first round they realize that he's touching me too much. And they have it playing in their head, am I going to get knocked out soon? And they just become completely almost defensive."

Watch the full interview with Adesanya below:

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Israel Adesanya is excited to fight someone who will try and finish him

Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira are finally set to clash inside the octagon, with the two former kickboxers scheduled to meet at UFC 281. The event will take place at at Madison Square Garden on November 12, 2022.

Both fighters had an illustrious kickboxing career before transitioning to MMA. 'Poatan' got the better of Adesanya twice in kickboxing, which has served as the narrative for the fight.

Israel Adesanya previewed his upcoming fight on ESPN MMA and claimed that he's excited by the prospect of a fresh challenge:

''I run towards the fire, and this is no different. And again, after he beat me in Brazil, I never had any plans of trying to get revenge or anything like that, because I don't hold onto things, I let go of things. I'm telling you, the universe has presented this to me and it's right there, it's the perfect alley-oop, and I'm going to slam that b**ch."

He added:

"I'm excited to have someone who's going to attack me, who's going to actually try and finish me.''

Watch the interview from 1:50 on ESPN MMA below:

Considering the nature of his recent outings inside the octagon, Adesanya is understandably happy to be facing 'Poatan', who is known for his aggressive and technical striking.

In all probability, fans can expect Pereira to take the fight to the reigning champion. This could force both fighters to elevate their game and put on a spectacular show for fans around the world.