Israel Adesanya explains how he will counteract Yoel Romero’s wrestling

Israel Adesanya knows he’s in for a challenge when he faces Yoel Romero at UFC 248. But the middleweight champion believes he has his opponent’s number and knows what it takes to nullify his wrestling.

Earlier this week, “The Last Stylebender” sat down for an interview with Yahoo Sports to discuss his first title defence in March. His upcoming opponent, “The Soldier of God,” has set the bar high with his Olympic wrestling background and brutal knockouts over the likes of Lyoto Machida and Luke Rockhold.

When asked what he will do to overcome Romero’s wrestling advantage, Adesanya pointed to his footwork as a potential solution.

“Why is everyone so scared of this human? He is human at the end of the day, he’s just another guy who bleeds if you cut him,” Adesanya said.”He sweats and he gasses out, I don’t gas out.

“I can control where the fight goes as well, ’cause of my footwork,” Adesanya added. “Wrestling doesn’t always start straight away from the clinch. It starts from the feet, where you’re feet are placed, and he’s flatfooted. I am not, I have really good footwork, and also, when he gets his hands on you. It’s hard to get your hands on me when you can’t see me. He keeps saying ‘I see you soon boy.’ No, you won’t.”

Despite Romero’s reputation as a heavy hitter, Israel Adesanya believes his elusiveness in the cage will negate any offence from his opponent. The Last Stylebender has over a decade’s experience in refining his footwork through kickboxing and Muay Thai, but he is a multifaceted fighter. His fighting style is flashy, but he subtly manages to use three main deceptions time and again; the hip feint, shoulder feint, and the “question mark” kick to overthrow his competitors.

Adesanya’s arsenal has conquered middleweight stars such as Anderson, Silva, Kelvin Gastelum and Robert Whittaker.

Do you think that will change when Israel Adesanya faces Yoel Romero at UFC 248? Let us know in the comments below.

This article first appeared on BJPENN.com on 2/13/2020.