'I Think this Fight’s Going to Stay Standing'- Stephen Thompson Breaks Down Israel Adesanya's Impending Fight Against 'Only Guy to Put Izzy to Sleep'

UFC welterweight Stephen Thompson has always had an analytical mind for the sport and he lends his expertise when talking about Israel Adesanya’s potential next title defense. Speaking on his ‘Technique Tuesday’ show, ‘Wonderboy’ gave his honest assessment of Israel Adesanya vs Alex Pereira.

This will be the third time both men collide in combat sports and the first time in the sport of MMA. ‘Poatan’ holds two wins over ‘Izzy’ during their days as kickboxers and his second victory came via vicious knockout. He still stands as the only man to knockout Adesanya cold, a fact that hasn’t escaped Thompson’s watchful eye.

“Both guys haven’t changed a lot dramatically when it comes to their standup,” Thompson said. “This is MMA. Anything can happen, anybody can look for a takedown. You’ve also got to go into the fight thinking that as well. You’ve got to prepare for that. Do I think Alex Pereira is going to look for a takedown? No.”

Stephen Thompson predicted a classic Muay Thai bout and certainly doesn’t anticipate any takedown from Pereira. ‘Wonderboy’ is expecting an all-out stand-up clinic and if the fight delivers, it will help repair Israel Adesanya’s new-found reputation of being a boring fighter.

“I think this fight’s going to stay standing. I think it’s going to be a classic Muay Thai fight, including the elbows and more knees. … I think it’s going to be a great fight.” [h/t mmafighting.com]

“No matter what, I want to see this fight. Who else is Izzy going to fight but Alex Pereira? These guys have history together. This is the only guy to put Izzy to sleep. I think they’ve got to run it back a third time, third time’s the charm. Izzy’s got to win it, that’s how I see it.”

There’s a lot on the line for both men as they look to define their rivalry that spans across various forms of combat sports. A win for Alex Pereira would be monumental, as he would be a UFC champion in just 4-fights and would also be 3-0 against one of the best middleweights to ever do it.

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