UFC star Israel Adesanya admits to the formidable grappling skills possessed by Kayla Harrison. He recently expressed uncertainty about his ability to thwart her takedowns.
In 2021, Harrison boldly faced the impractical task of taking on a 6’5″ elite striker. After winning the match, she said that she could easily take down a bigger opponent. Harrison also implied that someone like Israel Adesanya would be in danger from her grappling abilities.
Bragging about her dominance in the ring, the former PFL champion famously stated: “Listen! Everyone keeps saying, ‘oh how do you solve the Kayla Harrison puzzle, how do you beat her?’ Spoiler alert! There’s no freaking puzzle, I put you on your back and I mess you up. I told you one by one, they’re all gonna fall. So doubt me now. But I’m going to show you how great I am.”
She continued, “Scientists, you kept talking about scientists, scientists at City Kickboxing…Izzy couldn’t stop my takedowns!”
Revisiting this statement ahead of Harrison’s anticipated UFC debut at UFC 300, Adesanya surprisingly agreed with the assertions of the two-time Olympic champion.
According to Adesanya, Harrison’s iconic resume substantiates her capabilities. Therefore, her claims can be true.
Adesanya admitted on his channel: “She could take me down. That’s fair. Look, that’s fair. She’s a judo Olympian gold medalist or whatever, I probably couldn’t stop some of her takedowns.”
Adesanya also gave his opinion regarding the outcome of the impending matchup. He said that despite Harrison’s commendable grappling background and her accolades in PFL, Holly Holm holds the upper hand.
Regarding the Holm vs. Harrison matchup, Adesanya stated: “I don’t know, but we’ll see see. She might take her down. She’s really good at takedowns, you know that. You know she can take men down as well?”
As Harrison prepares to step into the UFC Octagon for the first time, she acknowledges Holly Holm as her toughest adversary within the women’s bantamweight division. Conversely, Holm remains modest. She also views herself as the underdog in the impending matchup.
The much-anticipated UFC 300 event is scheduled for this weekend, set to unfold on April 13 at the prestigious T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.