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UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya is one of the biggest stars in the UFC right now. Since making his UFC debut in 2018, 'The Last Stylebender' has had an astronomical rise in the promotion.
It took the New Zealand fighter less than two years to capture UFC gold as he defeated former champion Robert Whittaker at UFC 243 for the middleweight title.
Adesanya's dominance in the 185-pound division didn't stop there. 'The Last Stylebender' has gone on to successfully defend the title three times against Yoel Romero, Paulo Costa and Marvin Vettori.
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Among the title defenses, Adesanya also went up to light heavyweight to challenge Jan Blachowicz for the title. Despite a valiant effort, the 31-year-old lost the bout to Blachowicz via unanimous decision.
But Adesanya made a strong comeback when he returned to the middleweight division. He outclassed Vettori at UFC 263 and won a unanimous decision with all the three judges scoring the contest 50-45.
Despite all these accomplishments and accolades, there are still some fighters in the UFC who are unimpressed with Adesanya and cannot stand the sight of him.
Here is a list of five fighters who cannot stand Israel Adesanya.
#5 Kevin Holland
Kevin Holland has been making a lot of noise in the UFC lately. 'Big Mouth' stacked up 5 wins in the promotion in 2020 and was argued by many to be the 'Fighter of the Year'.
After his win over Charlie Ontiveros, Holland started shouting at Adesanya, who was sitting in the audience with UFC president Dana White.
Since that interaction, the two have been going back-and-forth, taking digs at each other every chance they get.
We don't know if these two fighters will ever meet in the octagon but it is unlikely that their rivalry will end anytime soon.
#4 Robert Whittaker
Former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker recently ruffled a few feathers when he called Israel Adesanya's performance against Marvin Vettori 'average'.
“He’s definitely not a God and not even as good as he thinks he is," said Robert Whittaker.
'The Last Stylebender responded with a dig of his own.
Both fighters have expressed disdain for each other over time. The last time these two middleweights faced each other in the octagon was at UFC 243 in Australia. The event had the largest live audience in UFC history.
Also read: "I baptized you" - Israel Adesanya trolls "son" Robert Whittaker on the occasion of Father's Day
The fight ended with the New Zealander emerging victorious as he knocked out 'The Reaper' in the second round of the fight. Since then, a rematch has frequently been on the cards.
After his win over Marvin Vettori, Adesanya used his post-fight interview to call out Whittaker for a rematch.
'Bobby Knuckles' also responded to the callout on Twitter:
The rematch now appears to be a real possibility with both fighters on board. It remains to be seen whether the two middleweights will bury the hatchet after their rematch.
Also read: 5 Reasons why Robert Whittaker can defeat Israel Adesanya in their rematch
#3 Paulo Costa
One of the most entertaining rivalries to come out in recent times is between middleweight fighters Paulo Costa and Israel Adesanya.
It was pretty evident from the trash-talk between the two that Costa and Adesanya cannot stand each other.
Both fighters insulted each other every chance they got in the build-up to their fight at UFC 253.
'The Last Stylebender' completely dismantled 'Borrachinha' when the two finally fought in the octagon. The New Zealander chopped up Costa's leg with kicks before finishing him in the second round of the title fight.
After the fight, the Brazilian fighter gave a bizarre excuse for his poor performance, saying he was hungover before the fight.
#2 Marvin Vettori
Much venom was spewed by Israel Adesanya and Marvin Vettori in the lead up to their championship fight at UFC 263. Adesanya questioned the level of competition that the Italian had faced in his career.
In their first encounter, Adesanya edged out a split decision victory over the Italian fighter. Vettori argued that he was the true winner of the fight.
The two got a chance to settle this debate in the main event of UFC 263. 'The Last Stylebender' put on a masterful performance and won all five rounds of the fight.
Also read: Israel Adesanya reveals what he said to Marvin Vettori during their UFC 263 fight
The middleweight champion did praise Vettori for his toughness in the fight:
"He is tough. He said in the interview that 'I'm stronger than I look'. And I said 'Yes, he's tougher'. He looks tough but he is tough. He is hard to put away and his boxing did improve, I'll give him that," said Israel Adesanya.
With two wins over Vettori, it does not seem likely that the New Zealander will cross paths with 'The Italian Dream' again in the near future.
Also read: "He is tough" - Israel Adesanya explains what surprised him the most about Marvin Vettori at UFC 263
#1 Jon Jones
The feud between Israel Adesanya and Jon Jones reeks of genuine hatred. Both fighters have said some extremely hateful things to each other and at one point, brought each other's families into the argument.
The rivalry started when the media, as well as MMA fans, started comparing Adesanya to 'Bones'. Since then, the two fighters have always jumped at the chance to insult each other on the internet.
The middleweight champion has expressed interest in fighting Jones multiple times. This is a fight that every true MMA fan wants to see.
Adesanya vs Jones has the potential to be the biggest fight in UFC history. A fight between the two stars will also be the perfect culmination of their ongoing rivalry.
