International Fight Week 2018 has come and gone, leaving the combat sports universe with some of the best and worst performances of the year. Outside of Daniel Cormier, Israel Adesanya may have stood out most. The undefeated kickboxer intelligently dismantled Brad Tavares in “The Ultimate Fighter 27” Finale headliner on July 6 and has the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s middleweight division shaking in its collective boots.
What were some of the techniques and strategies Adesanya used to pick apart Tavares across five rounds and announce himself as a legitimate contender at 185 pounds?