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With nine wins inside the octagon to his name already, it’s crazy to think Israel Adesanya has only competed in the UFC for a little over three years. Adesanya, the current king of the middleweight division, is yet to be defeated in his natural weight class. However, the Nigerian-New Zealander’s most recent UFC fight resulted in a loss, as he ambitiously moved up to light heavyweight, challenging Jan Blachowicz in an attempt to gain UFC champ-champ status.
Adesanya will look to get back to winning ways at UFC 263 this Saturday, as he faces ‘The Italian Dream’ Marvin Vettori in a highly anticipated rematch. Although Vettori lost the first match in 2017, he was defeated via split-decision and perhaps remains the only UFC middleweight to have caused Adesanya problems in the octagon.
We have learned many things about Israel Adesanya during his short and successful UFC career so far; let’s look at three things every Adesanya fan needs to know.
#3 Israel Adesanya’s nickname
Often compared to Keanu Reeves’ character ‘Neo’ from the 1999 science-fiction classic “The Matrix,” Adesanya’s ability to dodge and weave from the attacks of elite opponents can only be appreciated in super slow motion.
The Nigerian-New Zealander’s blend of different fighting styles is so unique that you can understand why he is called ‘The Last Stylebender.’ Yet the origin of his nickname is inspired by his favorite anime series, “Avatar: The Last Airbender.”
First airing on Nickelodeon in 2005, ”Avatar: The Last Airbender” is set in a world where certain people can manipulate one of the four elements - water, earth, fire, or air. The only individual who can bend all four elements is known as the “Avatar,” inspiring ‘The Last Stylebender’ to blend different styles of martial arts to become the very best in MMA.
#2 Israel Adesanya is a dancer
Prior to Adesanya's slow-motion bullet-time comparisons to 'Neo' from "The Matrix," there had already been a fighter known for his baffling movement. Vasyl Lomachenko is a professional boxer considered to be one of the pound-for-pound best: he is a three-weight world champion with two Olympic gold medals. Nicknamed 'The Matrix,' Lomachenko has unmatched footwork inside the squared circle, a skill his father attributes to years of Ukrainian dance lessons at an early age.
Many UFC fans will remember Adesanya’s impressive choreographed entrance to the octagon at UFC 243, but his dancing background goes far deeper. ‘The Last Stylebender’ regularly competed in dance competitions across New Zealand before he started his fighting career, and just like ‘Loma,’ his nimble movement has helped develop a unique fighting style.
#3 Israel Adesanya is a professional boxer
While many UFC fans will know of Adesanya’s incredible professional kickboxing background(75-5), only a few know of his brief but successful time in a professional boxing ring.
‘The Last Stylebender’ first laced up his gloves in 2014, amassing a record of five wins and one loss in the squared circle over the next 12 months. While five of those wins happened over just two nights (in the Super 8 Boxing Tournament III & IV), Israel Adesanya still impressed in his victories, the most notable coming against world cruiserweight contender Brian Minto.
