Tom Aspinall recently heaped praise on Israel Adesanya, expressing admiration for the former UFC middleweight champion's fighting style and acknowledging how much he has learned from studying his techniques.
"The Last Stylebender" is gearing up to make his comeback to the Octagon and challenge reigning middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis in the headlining bout of the upcoming pay-per-view event, scheduled for August 17 at the RAC Arena in Perth, Western Australia.
After suffering a shocking title loss to Sean Strickland at UFC 293 last September, the Nigerian-born Kiwi took a voluntary sabbatical to prioritize his mental health. Now, after 11 months of reflection and recovery, he's returning to active competition with a renewed focus.
Adesanya is regarded as one of the most dominant middleweight champions in UFC history, boasting five successful title defenses. However, Izzy's fortunes have taken a downturn in the past couple of years, starting with his first-ever middleweight defeat—a dramatic fifth-round TKO at the hands of his arch-nemesis, Alex Pereira, at UFC 281 in November 2022.
As an expert in distance control and fluid striking himself, Aspinall holds a deep respect for the finesse that defines Adesanya's elite fighting style...
Aspinall Says Adesanya’s Style Is From 'Different Universe'
During a recent interview with TNT Sports, Aspinall broke down how Adesanya expertly dismantles his opponents with a unique blend of unorthodox striking, a key factor behind his success in the Octagon.
The interim UFC heavyweight champion expressed profound respect for Adesanya and said that he has even incorporated elements of it into his own game.
Israel Adesanya, such contrasting styles and by the way, if you're not an Izzy fan, what are you?" Aspinall said. "I mean, the guy's an absolute technician. The thing with Izzy is the styles are so different, they're on different universes, you know what I mean? They're never mind a different spectrum. The way that Izzy fights is he has his hands low a bit, and he will constantly keep you guessing. But because he's so long—6'4" at middleweight is so tall for a middleweight—he'll do this kind of stuff a lot. He's so good with his kicks; he fakes with the legs as well, so he'll be doing a lot of this, then he'll be coming up.
We've seen him with his chopping leg kicks, we've seen him with the high kicks. He's just so long, and he reads the fight so well. He's had so many fights now as well. I've learned a lot just from watching him, do you know what I mean?
Aspinall also offered his prediction for the upcoming clash between Du Plessis and Adesanya. He suggested that "Stillknocks" will have a tough time keeping up with the elusive former champ, likely ending up on the receiving end of some devastating, fight-altering strikes as he tries to close the distance.
I would say it's almost like the bull and the matador, this fight. It's like we've got the bull in DDP [Du Plessis]; he's coming forward, you know what you're going to get with him—he's closing the space, trying to kill you. On the other hand, he's [Adesanya] staying out of the way, doing his feints, and it's just such a contrast of styles. As a massive fan of MMA myself, I just can't wait to see it.
"The Last Stylebender" is on the verge of making history. A victory on Saturday night could see him join the ranks of the legendary Randy Couture by securing an undisputed title in a third division—an achievement that would undoubtedly cement his legacy as one of the sport's all-time greats.