"He'll be like 'Tank' Davis" - Josh Thomson details why Jared Cannonier cannot let Israel Adesanya "feel comfortable" inside octagon

Israel Adesanya (top left), Gervonta Davis (top right), Jared Cannonier (bottom left), and Josh Thomson (bottom right) [Images courtesy of Getty and @therealpunk Twitter]
Israel Adesanya (top left), Gervonta Davis (top right), Jared Cannonier (bottom left), and Josh Thomson (bottom right) [Images courtesy of Getty and @therealpunk Twitter]

Josh Thomson recently stated that Jared Cannonier has to make it a dirty fight to get a win against Israel Adesanya at UFC 276 or the champion will be invincible like Gervonta Davis.

'The Punk' also compared the fight to the recent Bellator bout between Fabian Edwards and Lyoto Machida. Edwards earned a stoppage win in that clash. Thomson stated that 'The Killa Gorilla' has to follow a similar gameplan and try to land his shots while exiting from the clinch position.

He added that Cannonier has to make it a dirty fight to get a win. Otherwise, if Adesanya is too comfortable and starts to find his rhythm, it will be hard for the challenger.

Thomson even compared Adesanya to lightweight boxing champion Gervonta 'Tank' Davis. Davis earned a sensational knockout win over Rolando Romero this past weekend. He baited Romero into getting reckless and eventually caught him with a vicious signature left hand. While speaking to John McCarthy on the WEIGHING IN podcast, here's what Thomson said:

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"You always got to land something on the exit. Make it a dirty grimy fight. If you allow 'Izzy' to just feel comfortable in there, f**k, he'll be like 'Tank' Davis man, he'll be just f**king lighting you up... Izzy, when he's in there, he feels so relaxed, so composed, he's feeling it. He sees everything, feels everything, he sees all the stuff that's going on in the crowd, he's vibing with it. When he gets in that mode, that's dangerous. He's a dangerous dangerous fighter."

Watch Thomson talk about Israel Adesanya vs. Jared Cannonier:

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Israel Adesanya is on his way to becoming the middleweight G.O.A.T.

Israel Adesanya has been phenomenal since joining the UFC. He is undefeated in the middleweight division. If he continues in the same vein, 'The Last Stylebender' could secure his place as the greatest ever fighter in the 185lbs division.

Adesanya won the championship at UFC 243 when he knocked out Robert Whittaker. Since then, he has defeated Yoel Romero and Paulo Costa and won two rematches against Marvin Vettori and Robert Whittaker to successfully defend his title four times.

The Nigerian-born champion is currently regarded as one of the best middleweights ever, alongside Anderson Silva. His tally of title defenses is still far behind that of the Brazilian. However, one might argue that he has faced better opposition in his career so far.

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Edited by Aziel Karthak
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