{"id":282993,"date":"2018-08-16T06:09:16","date_gmt":"2018-08-16T13:09:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/staging.tcpcharms.com\/bjpenn\/?p=282993"},"modified":"2018-08-16T06:09:16","modified_gmt":"2018-08-16T13:09:16","slug":"derek-brunson-calls-israel-adesanya-one-of-the-easiest-matchups-ill-have-in-the-ufc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/staging.tcpcharms.com\/bjpenn\/mma-news\/derek-brunson\/derek-brunson-calls-israel-adesanya-one-of-the-easiest-matchups-ill-have-in-the-ufc\/","title":{"rendered":"Derek Brunson calls Israel Adesanya “one of the easiest matchups I\u2019ll have in the UFC”"},"content":{"rendered":"

On November 3, on the main card of UFC 230, long-time UFC middleweight contender Derek Brunson will attempt to slow the hype train of kickboxing transplant Israel Adesanya. In Brunson’s opinion, however, the hype surrounding Adesanya is way overblown.<\/p>\n

In fact, Brunson believes that Adesanya is very flawed, and that he’ll be one of the easiest matchups he’ll have in the UFC.<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of people are high on [Adesanya], a lot of people believe in him, but I\u2019m not too much of a believer,” Derek Brunson said on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show<\/a>\u00a0(transcript via ESPN<\/a>). “I can\u2019t trick myself. Every fight I train for the opponent very hard and smart. I\u2019ll do that for myself. But I\u2019m not a believer in the kid. I think he\u2019s a good striker. I don\u2019t think he\u2019s a great striker.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not a guy who is going to let you dictate or do whatever you want to,\u201d Brunson says. \u201cI\u2019m not impressed by this kid. His striking is okay. He\u2019s long, which is the best thing going for him. Doesn\u2019t hit hard. This is the fight I like. One of the easiest matchups I\u2019ll have in the UFC. One of the easiest people to prepare for.<\/p>\n

“He\u2019s bad on the ground. His wrestling isn\u2019t good. I see holes in his game. He\u2019s a little frail guy. I think I\u2019ll get the finish early.\u201d<\/p>\n