Current middleweight champion, Israel Adesanya is a force to reckon with in the Ultimate Fighting Championship circuit. Widely regarded as one of the best in the business, Adesanya has experience in professional boxing, kickboxing and mixed martial arts.
Adesanya, who studied computer graphic design, dropped out of university and worked as a billing coordinator for a gas line company before deciding to pursue fighting. Additionally, Adesanya has a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under his then-trainer Andre Galvao.
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Nicknamed ‘the Last Stylebender’, Adesanya entered the UFC octagon for the first time in 2018 and took on Rob Wilkinson at UFC 221. He impressed straight away with a second-round knockout win and from then on, there was no looking back for the now 33-year-old.
Relentless in his title pursuit, Adesanya challenged for the middleweight title for the first time in 2019. He knocked out Robert Whittaker in the second round and became the undisputed champion. In March 2020, he defeated Yoel Romero, and followed it up with a five-round win against Paulo Costa the same year.
The Last Stylebender’s first-ever MMA loss came at UFC 259, where he faced Jan Blachowicz for the Light-Heavyweight Championship and lost via Unanimous Decision.
In 2021, he further retained his title against Marvin Vettori in yet another five-round thriller. Last year, he held on to his title twice before going down to Alex Pereira, who beat Adesanya via strikes in the fifth round.
Adesanya, who challenged Pereira for a rematch quicker than one would’ve expected, reclaimed the middleweight title at the UFC 287, to become the first two-time middleweight champion.
Hailing from Auckland, New Zealand, Adesanya has won 24 out of the 26 bouts he has participated in.
Result | Opponent | Date | Event | Decision |
W | Alex Pereira | 09.04.2023 | UFC 287 | Knockout |
L | Alex Pereira | 13.11.2022 | UFC 281 | Knockout/Technical Knockout |
W | Jared Cannonier | 03.07.2022 | UFC 276 | Unanimous decision |
W | Robert Whittaker | 13.02.2022 | UFC 271 | Unanimous decision |
W | Marvin Vettori | 13.06.2021 | UFC 263 | Unanimous decision |
*As on April 9, 2023
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