The ANB Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia is set to host the upcoming middleweight clash between Nassourdine and Adesanya Israel. All bookmakers and professional sports analysts are writing off Nassourdine in favor of the Nigerian legend Israel, but I see something else in this fascinating matchup. Let’s take a closer look at the strengths and weaknesses of both fighters, then make an informed bet.
Israel Adesanya – The Masterclass Striker
Most analysts argue that age is no longer on the side of Israel. The 2019 MMA Fighter of The Year and current 3rd Greatest MMA Striker of All Time is aged 35 and counting, and his losses to Sean Stickland and then Dricus Du Plessis mean the Nigerian fighter is without a win for over a year now.
Nicknamed “The Last Stylebender”, Israel is a precision artist with incredible movement, reach, and knockout power. His professional record of 24-4-0 tells the whole story. But, what’s more interesting is the fact that 16 of his wins came from knockouts. That’s why Israel is one of the most feared fighters in the octagon. All it takes is one significant strike to take out even the toughest opponent you can think of out there.
Nassourdine Imavov – The Methodical Fighter
Nicknamed “The Sniper”, Nassourdine might not be as flashy as Israel but he has great cardio and has good grappling skills. Now, considering Israel lost his last fight by submission, Nassourdine will certainly consider this as an integral part of his fight strategy for this bout.
With a professional record of 15-4-0, 1 NC, “The Sniper” equally has great strike power. In fact, 6 of his 15 wins came from knockouts (that’s 40%). Furthermore, 4 of his wins came from submissions.
He has a relentless approach when it comes to searching for takedowns, and when he does manage to take you down, he can be suffocating. If Israel falls in this trap, he will record a 3rd defeat in a row.
Nassourdine’s Path to Victory
Against a skilled fighter like Adesanya, takedowns won’t come easily. Plus, Adesanya has great takedown defense. Nassourdine has to make good use of his wrestling skills, shooting for the legs and also using his upper body strength to control Adesanya against the cage. The key is to tire Israel’s legs and limit his striking opportunities.
Furthermore, Nassourdine should focus all efforts on taking the fight to the ground and if he does, he needs to focus on positional dominance and landing short, damaging strikes. Plus making Adesanya carry his weight will further drain his energy for later rounds.
Lastly, “The Sniper” needs to be prepared to absorb a lot of strikes, not panic, and stick to his game plan.
The Prediction
While it is true that Israel is an all-around better fighter compared to Nassourdine, I think age and the last 2 defeats he recorded are still lingering in his memory and will weigh in this fight. “The Sniper is on a 3-win streak and comes to this bout with the needed determination and confidence level. I’m going against the crowd and backing a win for Nassourdine at an odd of 2.462. Register on BettingSoftware now to start winning big.
