Israel Adesanya not likely to recapture title according to Mateusz Gamrot

UFC lightweight Mateusz Gamrot isn’t convinced that Israel Adesanya will win back the UFC middleweight championship.

On Saturday night, Israel Adesanya will attempt to capture the UFC middleweight title for the third time. He’ll challenge Dricus du Plessis for the belt, in a fight that will likely bring an end to a rivalry that’s been ongoing for a long time now.

For many, ‘Stylebender’ is the favorite in this contest. While he may have lost his last outing at the hands of Sean Strickland, his fighting style certainly seems to match up well against du Plessis. Either way, it feels like we’re in for a fun showdown.

In a pre-UFC 305 interview, Mateusz Gamrot gave his thoughts on how the main event will play out.

Gamrot questions Israel Adesanya

“I think Dricus [will win],” Gamrot said. “I like the guy, we have a good relationship. He is good everywhere like he’s—maybe this matchup is similar to my matchup against Hooker. 

“So, Adesanya is a high-level striker, but his wrestling and jiu-jitsu, I think, are not super. I don’t know, but I can think about that—jiu-jitsu and wrestling are not at the same level as his striking. So if Dricus takes him down, then the fight will be much easier for him, and I think the power is much different between Israel Adesanya and Dricus du Plessis. So, my prediction is that Dricus will win this fight.”

Quotes via MMA News

Gamrot will have his hands full too this weekend when he goes head to head with Dan Hooker, a City Kickboxing teammate of Adesanya’s.

Of course, there are bound to be people who doubt Adesanya’s ability to get back to the level he was once at. While we all know the talent is there, he may not be quite as confident as he was heading into some of his other title fights.

At UFC 305, we’ll get an answer to all these questions.