If an MMA fight happened between famous Khabib and popular Israel Adesanya, who would win. It is a hypothetical question. Because they never fought a fight against each other. Relying on the past record of both players may help greatly to reach a reasonable prediction. Still, sometimes stunning victories over the favorite happen. The more favorite fighter might lose to the less special or the underdog. So the educated guess, assumption, analyses and basic instincts all together cannot accurately predict who would win. Yet, we predict and bet. Today’s topic is about two MMA legendary fighters named Khabib Nurmagomedov and Israel Adesanya.
Brief Account of Khabib:
Khabib, full name Khabib Abdulmanapovich Nurmagomedov is a Russian former professional Mixed Martial Artist. He was born on September 20, 1988, at Sil’dih, Russia. He competed in the lightweight Championship (UFC). He held the title for a record time from April 2018 to March 2021. With 29 wins and no losses, Khabib retired with an undefeated record. He was inducted into UFC Hall of Fame on June 30, 2022.
He is widely considered to be one of the greatest Mixed Martial Artists of all time. Also, he is a Mixed Martial Arts Promoter, known for promoting the Eagle Fighting Championship (EFC). A two-time Combat Sambo World Champion, Khabib has a background in the disciplines of Sambo, Judo and Wrestling. He was ranked #1 in the UFC men’s pound-for-pound rankings at the time of his retirement. Fight Matrix ranks him as the lightweight of all time. Since retirement, he has easily transitioned to a mixed martial arts Coach and Cornerman, advising his competing candidate after each round. Coming from Russia, Khabib is the first Muslim to win a UFC title. Interestingly, he is the most-followed Russian on Instagram. Regarding the fight with Israel, his manager Ali Abdelaziz maintains that Khabib would ‘dominate’ champion Israel Adesanya, if he made a UFC comeback at Middleweight. Khabib rejects the idea. The Eagle, nickname of Khabib, walked away gracefully with an air of jubilation from MMA fighting success, reigning lightweight champion.
Brief Account of Israel Adesanya:
In Kickboxing, Israel is a former Glory Middleweight Championship title challenger. He is #1 in the UFC Middleweight rankings, and #6 in the UFC Men’s pound-for-pound rankings till November 14, 2022. Adesanya is highly regarded as one of the best strikers in Mixed Martial Arts. He was born on July 22, 1989 in Lagos, Nigeria. Israel, who was born in Nigeria and grew up in New Zealand, won the U.F.C. Middleweight 185-pound championship in April 2019. He won the title just over a year after he joined the promotion. Israel Adesanya’s current MMA record stands at 23-1. His full name is Israel Mobolaji Adesanya. A man larger than life.
Every man has Achilles’ heel. So does Israel. He lost the UFC Middleweight title to Alex Pereira by TKO (Technical Knockout) at Madison Square Garden. Israel Adesanya admitted that he had lost to Alex Pereira twice by knockout. He remained undefeated Middleweight champion until he lost the title to Pereira, the fight took place on November 12 this year held at Madison Square Garden, New York City. His very recent losing title, especially by TKO, suggests a diminishing power of a fighter. He is not retired yet though.
Comparison between Israel and Khabib:
We have tried to figure out the power of two well accomplished MMA fighters. They have distinctive capabilities and skills. Israel is a much larger man. With 6′ 4″ height and weighs 85 kg, Israel towers over his supposed opponent Khabib, who is only 5′ 10″ and weighs 70 kg. Being a tall man Israel has the size advantage. He can easily reach his opponent, hitting Khabib from a distance without being hit. On the other hand, Khabib with less weight can dance around better, and dodge Israel’s attacks.
Besides, Khabib has the better skills from wrestling, grappling and ground games which Israel lacks. But Israel is very good at kickboxing and pure boxing. With his towering figure and weight he dominated almost everybody. He retained the title from the former champion Robert Whittaker in a rematch with a unanimous decision held in Houston. However, Khabib with his stunning skills and strength could defeat Israel Adesanya if they fought, combat sports pundits believe. Sometimes size doesn’t matter. Speed does. Khabib’s aggressiveness can make his opponent panic. In mma grappling, as we said, Khabib has the speciality that Israel has yet to learn. So it is quite possible for Khabib to beat Israel by ground and pound him in a MMA match.
Speculation is a part of life, especially in sports. This is because human minds soon become bored. They need something exciting to enjoy. Sports keeps troubled minds off gloominess. When Khabib was directly or indirectly proposed to fight with Israel, he modestly declined. He maintained that sparring with a heavyweight in the gym is not the same thing when fighting in a real game. Moreover, “Oh I can smash him.”He doesn’t like this kind of attitude. He believes Israel being a UFC Middleweight champion deserves due respect. Still, if they are requested with utmost insistence to fight an MMA match, their fight would be spectacular. We assumed Khabib would get the upper hand.