Chael Sonnen believes that Israel Adesanya is the greatest middleweight of all time following his UFC 287 performance.
Former UFC fighter and two-time middleweight title challenger, Chael Sonnen, declared Israel Adesanya the greatest middleweight of all time after Adesanya’s impressive UFC 287 performance. In the main event, Adesanya knocked out Alex Pereira to regain the 185-pound championship. This victory was particularly notable since Pereira had previously beaten Adesanya three times, including a kickboxing knockout in their second match, and at UFC 281, where Pereira won the UFC belt.
Sonnen, who considers himself a middleweight contender, made these comments on his YouTube channel: “I believe Izzy to be the greatest middleweight of all time. I say this as a middleweight…Many have said I am the greatest of all time, but I think it’s him. I think it’s him for a lot of reasons.”
According to Sonnen, Adesanya’s aggressive and dominant performances have led to the popular term “lapping a division” being used in MMA. As Sonnen notes,“that’s how good and dominant that he is.” Sonnen is not the only MMA pundit to comment on Adesanya’s impressive victory. MMA Twitter was quick to react to the bout, with many saying it was a remarkable feat.
This is not the first time that Adesanya has been described as one of the all-time greats in MMA. Still, his most recent victory has cemented his status as a top fighter in the middleweight division. Adesanya’s ability to overcome adversity and return from being hit multiple times during the fight has only further added to his legacy. With such high praise from a former UFC fighter like Sonnen, it seems likely that Adesanya’s reputation will continue to grow within the MMA world.