Rising UFC Middleweight Says First Headliner ‘Easier Than My Last Fight’

Kickboxer-turned-mixed martial artist Israel Adesanya has already made quite the name for himself after just two UFC appearances.

Now slated to headline his first UFC card against Brad Tavares, Adesanya believes his last opponent was much tougher than this fight will be (via Bloody Elbow):

“Brad, I think is gonna be easier than my last opponent, just because I’ve seen that style so many times. I’ve read that stuff so many times. That’s nothing to me. My last opponent, Marvin Vettori, was an awkward, weird southpaw and I was able to read things on the fly with him. Brad, I’ve seen that style many, many times, so it’s going to be easier to read this book.”

Vettori became the first man to not get knocked out by Adesanya in the New Zealander’s MMA career, and ultimately lost a hard-fought split decision.

Meanwhile, Tavares scored a much-needed victory over Krzysztof Jotko, which was his first finish since 2010. That fact has not been lost on Adesanya, who discussed his rationale on why Tavares won’t pose as many issues as Vettori did:

“Look at Brad, the way he’s fought. His last fight was his first finish in seven years. His chin isn’t as durable as Marvin. I don’t like to say things like that, because no one has a chin. Everyone has a button, it’s just how you can find that button. His button, his style with his stance, is easier to find than Marvin’s button.

“I’ll give it less than three rounds. Less than three rounds. The way he likes to throw, he’s from Hawaii. He’s a heavy guy when he throws. He’s a scrapper. So, we could scrap.”

The two will headline July 6’s The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 27 Finale from Las Vegas.

Will Tavares be as easy a match-up as Adesanya suggests?