Is Israel Adesanya Overrated?

Joaquin Buckley slammed Israel Adesanya after his own welterweight loss to Kamaru Usman, as questions remain over whether Izzy is overrated.

Buckley suffered his first defeat at 170 pounds, as Usman dominated the fight on the ground. It was Usman’s first win since 2021, as he targets a title shot moving forward. Izzy openly expressed his satisfaction with Buckley’s loss, saying he “hates” him. Buckley has now responded by revealing that he would be open to fighting him. Izzy has suffered three losses in a row since his UFC Middleweight Title win against Alex Pereira, raising questions over his future. Buckley took things further by stating that he does not rate Adesanya.

“You ain’t no real fighter. You want to be a little pretty boy. I would give you a sample, but I don’t like boy. You can get this work any given time. I can give it to you, but I just hate fighters like you because you tryna downplay on somebody that’s trying to work towards something. What you hating on me for? You did what you did, but look at another brother trying to make it up and you want to clown him. Oh, but I forgot (expletive), you’re Chinese. You ain’t another brother. The real African that runs that spot is (Dricus Du Plessis),” Buckley said 

Can Izzy Bounce Back?

Buckley’s comments about Adesanya not being elite may have some credence. Adesanya is known for his ability to counter by using his feints. While he has the technical skills, his style comes under fire when fighters refuse to engage.  Izzy has been accused of being risk averse, often fighting off the back foot. 

A lot of his knockouts came from counter shots, as shown in the Costa, Whittaker and Pereira fights. 
There is also a suggestion that Izzy struggles against wrestlers and grapplers. His defeat to Jan Blachowicz proved that, as Izzy was out-grappled. He also suffered a submission loss to Dricus Du Plessis. When Adesanya is compared to other big fighters such as Anderson Silva or Georges St-Pierre, many feel he is nowhere near that level.