Israel Adesanya has given some tips to Tyson Fury.
Earlier this year, the heavyweight boxing champion claimed that he was ‘the baddest man on the planet’ and that no man could ‘f*ck him up’ in a fight. That drew the attention of UFC Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones, who issued a challenge to Fury to meet him inside the Octagon.
Despite talking a big game at first, Fury declined Jones’ offer, preferring to stay in the boxing ring only.
Adesanya To Fury: ‘Just Learn How To Sprawl’
UFC President Dana White has since offered to help make the unlikely super-fight happen in the UFC. Should it somehow happen, Adesanya has given advice to Fury ahead of his potential MMA debut.
“I saw Tyson and I said, look you should, I think, just learn how to sprawl,” Adesanya said on Flagrant. “You’d be alright. Just learn how to sprawl.”
The Reality
Of course, Adesanya realized that’s easier said than done, especially when you’re taking on one of the greatest MMA fighters to ever live. Fury doesn’t have much MMA training under his belt, being a prolific boxer and all.
“Well, again, it’s Jon Jones,” Adesanya added. “Also, it’s Tyson Fury, he doesn’t know how to sprawl. He doesn’t know jiu-jitsu. And he was like, listen man, you ain’t f*cking getting me in a cage or whatever. It’s real life. It’s real life sh*t. It’s like you have to understand the reality of what’s actually happening.”
‘The Last Stylebender’ is a two-time UFC Middleweight Champion, but his resume far extends outside the confines of the Octagon. Before he first touched UFC gold in 2019, Adesanya has racked up a 75-5 record in kickboxing as well as a 5-1 record in pro boxing.
Why Adesanya Chose MMA Over Boxing & Kickboxing
Adesanya explains why he pursued MMA when he could’ve continued in these other facets of fighting.
“Boxing is different from fighting, I mean from like actual fighting… If you wanna be the greatest fighter in the world, you have to be able to fight other styles,” Adesanya continued. “There’s not just one style of fighting. This is why— I’m a kickboxer, that’s where I started in. And I love grappling because it was fun to watch and watching the UFC. Joe Rogan gonna re-explain what’s happening, I’m like, ‘oh, that’s cool, that’s cool’. But I had to learn.
“I put my ego aside and I was like, if I really wanna be the best fighter in the world [I have to do MMA]. I could have been the best kickboxer in the world and just like done that made okay money, live really nicely, very rich. I could just go to boxing cause I was boxing for a little bit as well, and done the same thing. But I was like, I really wanna be the best. Also, I never want a man to be able to handle me in any situation.
“For me, I feel like to be the best fighter in the world, you have to be able to beat any style,” Adesanya added. “That’s why I put my ego aside and I’m gonna learn how to grapple. It’s like to be a good criminal, learn to be a good lawyer.”
