Top 5 Israel Adesanya Knockouts

UFC 276 is right around the corner, and now’s the time to lock in your odds. But rather than stop there, Bodog opens the book on Israel Adesanya’s Top 5 Knockouts. Get an insight into this formidable technician’s path to glory.

The UFC always handles international fight week with style, and there is none more stylish than Middleweight champion Israel Adesanya.

UFC betting comes to life at Bodog when the flair-heavy kickboxer is defending his title. Now competing in his 7th fight with a UFC belt on the line, the Israel Adesanya record is ever-improving, and his next fight comes at UFC 276 against hard-hitter Jared Cannonier in a Middleweight bout that stands atop one of the promotion’s best cards of the year.

Also on the card, Featherweight adversaries Max Holloway and champion Alexander Volkanovski face off for the third time in the co-main event.

Adesanya’s former kickboxing rival Alex Pereira will also be competing in a number one contender match against Sean Strickland to decide the next challenger at Middleweight, potentially setting up a mouth-watering grudge match.

Adesanya vs. Cannonier: The Lowdown

On July 2nd, Nigerian Adesanya is hoping to overcome Texas-native Jared Cannonier. 38-year-old Cannonier has stormed his way to contender status in the Middleweight division, with his only loss coming to former champion Robert Whittaker.

Cannonier gradually moved down from Heavyweight, and he’s finished all but one of his victories in his current division by knockout.

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As for the bout between the two knockout artists, the outline of this matchup is clear: Adesanya is the technician, and Cannonier is the powerhouse. We’ll expect to see Adesanya fighting on the back-foot, aiming to pick off Cannonier with counters and range attacks. Cannonier, however, likely has only one path to victory, which is via knockout.

As far as UFC betting in Canada goes, Bodog is ready to roll for Israel Adesanya’s next fight, marking the Nigerian as the -450 favourite in the bout. This is no doubt banking on the fact that he’ll finish off his opponent in classic Adesanya style: via brutal knockout.

Top 5 Israel Adesanya Knockouts

Despite his last two victories coming by decision, most of Adesanya’s fights have been early finishes, including some of the best knockout victories we’ve ever seen.

5. Israel Adesanya vs. Stuart Dare

Before his time in the UFC, Adesanya lit up the regional circuit in Australia and China. He amassed a perfect 11-0 record, finishing every fight within two rounds. In his last bout before joining the UFC in 2018, he faced Stuart Dare for the HEX Fight Series Middleweight Championship.

At the close of the first round, Adesanya faked a teep to lower Dare’s hands. Instead, he brought his leg over the guard of Dare and landed a thudding question-mark kick. His opponent stiffened and dropped to the mat unconscious.

Adesanya was already on Dana White’s radar. But after this highlight reel finish, it was a no-brainer to sign him up. Any UFC betting tips at the time would’ve told you he had a very bright future.

4. Israel Adesanya vs. Rob Wilkinson

In his UFC debut, Adesanya was pit against Rob Wilkinson: no pushover, with a career record of 15-2 at the time, and his only defeats coming from his two UFC bouts.

Wilkinson’s game plan was clearly to wrestle with Adesanya. He had a little success in the first round by clocking up some control time against the cage, but Adesanya was a level above. The future champion brutalised his opponent with knees and punches for most of the second round. The referee stepped in when gravity started taking a toll on Wilkinson. He slumped against the cage, and Adesanya began his run toward UFC gold.

3. Israel Adesanya vs. Derek Brunson

When Adesanya was faced against Derek Brunson in November 2020, he had a 3-0 record inside the UFC within only 6 months.

Many believed at that time that if you knew anything about how to bet on the UFC, your money should be on Strikeforce veteran Brunson. They said Brunson’s elite grappling would be too much for a kickboxer like Adesanya. History had something to say about that.

Adesanya displayed his world-class takedown defence early in the fight as Brunson made multiple attempts to get him to the ground. A clean 3-punch combo followed by a knee to the head was the beginning of the end for Brunson. Rocked, Brunson bore the brunt of one of Adesanya’s signature question-mark kicks before being dropped by a follow-up right hand. Smelling blood, Adesanya swarmed and dropped a panicking Derek Brunson twice more. Referee Herb Dean had seen enough and stopped the fight.

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This win catapulted Adesanya to the top of the middleweight division. Finally recognised as a serious title contender, the UFC would next match him against the legendary Anderson Silva.

2. Israel Adesanya vs. Paulo Costa

Adesanya made his second UFC title defence against then-undefeated Paulo Costa.

Costa had only gone the distance once in his professional career. His oversised frame had many thinking the cumulative, point-winning approach Adesanya often employs would be ineffective against him. Costa struggled to find a comfortable range as Adesanya moved around him, damaging his lead leg with low kicks. Adesanya completely muted Costa’s offence.

Slipping to the outside of a jab in the second round, Adesanya fired a counter left hook. Costa fell forward, and Adesanya followed up with a pounding assault to end the fight.

At this point, Adesanya was considered one of the best fighters in the UFC. So much so that his next fight would be to become a two-division champion, culminating in the only Israel Adesanya loss.

1. Israel Adesanya vs. Robert Whittaker 1

Robert Whittaker is Israel Adesanya’s comic book villain, or perhaps it’s the other way around. They both fight out of the same country and have fought twice already, taking turns defending the Middleweight championship. However, it’s the very first meeting between the pair that puts this bout at the top of the list.

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After an evenly contested opening round, Adesanya took advantage of Whittaker’s forward pressure. Countering a big 1-2 with a right-left combo, Adesanya stumbled Whittaker back and onto the ground.

This victory was the start of Adesanya’s still-ongoing reign at 185 pounds. Considering the title unification stakes, this is undoubtedly Israel Adesanya’s most important knockout and possibly one of the top 5 KOs ever.

 

Adesanya vs. Cannonier is guaranteed to be one of the best fights in 2022. Now is the ideal time to lock in your odds for UFC betting with just a few days remaining until UFC 276. Odds will become narrower as fight time approaches, so don’t wait and risk missing out, because July 2nd is sure to show some carnage.