Israel Adesanya admits bad night, but celebrates title defense against Jared Cannonier at UFC 276

I. Adesanya in post-event interview. Photo: Reproduction/YouTube

It wasn't a fantastic victory and Israel adesanya agree with this. In a post-event press conference, the Nigerian admitted that he had not had his best day, but celebrated the success of his fifth defense of his middleweight belt (up to 85.7kg) against Jared Cannonier No. UFC 276 last Saturday (2).

"I'm getting better. I know that on my worst day, I can outperform the best men. I was feeling bad today. People, like my team and family, know I had a bad night. But still, I managed to finish him off. When I didn't find the necessary blows to define the fight, I realized that I wasn't doing well. My jabs worked, but I couldn’t land my strong punches,” said Adesanya.

See too

Sean Strickland vents after devastating loss to Alex Poatan at UFC 276: 'I thought it would be easy'

Jon Jones praises Poatan for his knockout over Strickland and mocks Adesanya's challenge at UFC 276

Alex Poatan criticizes Adesanya's performance at UFC 276: 'It didn't excite me'

Despite the triumph, Israel recognizes Cannonier's qualities. The Nigerian even cites his opponent's ability to adapt and says that the fight was different from what he imagined.

“Cannonier was adjusting his game well in each round. He is a formidable fighter and he was able to show that in today's fight. It was different from what I imagined, as he made good adjustments. I hit his leg and body and he managed to get out of the situation. I went for the sixth belt defense”, he concluded.

With that, Adesanya achieved his third victory in a row and still doesn't know what it's like to be surpassed in the middleweight division (up to 83,9kg). In his career, now, there are 23 triumphs and one setback.