Only reason why I think C00nanier had a chance to upset gynosanya
Tim Finnegan Of DraftKings Breaks Down UFC 276 And Gives Bets To Consider On DraftKings Sportsbook.
www.ufc.com
Cannonier's 77-inch reach is the longest reach Adesanya has faced at middleweight since he fought Anderson Silva in February 2019. Adesanya has had at least a six-inch reach advantage in each of his last six fights at middleweight, and he will only have a three-inch reach advantage for this fight.
The best path to beat Adesanya is through takedowns and top control. Jan Błachowicz executed this game plan in his win over Adesanya in March 2021, but that fight was at light heavyweight. Błachowicz enjoyed an extra 20 pounds of bulk, which helped make takedowns and top control far easier. At middleweight, Adesanya has been difficult to take down and hold down for long. Adesanya has been taken down four times in each of his last two fights, but was able to get back to his feet without giving up much on the ground.
MORE UFC 276: Fight by Fight Preview | Fully Loaded | Significant Stats | Fighters On The Rise | Five Reasons To Watch UFC 276
Cannonier does not have the elite wrestling background to keep Adesanya on his back, which strongly limits his ways to win. Cannonier has recorded only two total takedowns in 13 UFC fights, which is a paltry rate of 0.23 per 15 minutes. That should turn this into primarily a striking match, where Cannonier will be badly overmatched by Adesanya. Adesanya is one of the best strikers in the entire sport.
Cannonier has been knocked out twice in his UFC career and was dropped by strikes in his most recent fight against Derek Brunson. Without having to worry excessively about the threat of a strong takedown, Adesanya is in a good position to utilize his elite striking and win this fight by KO/TKO.