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#4. UFC 234: Israel Adesanya vs. Anderson Silva
The Auckland resident headlined UFC 234. It was only his 5th fight in the promotion. Anderson Silva, his opponent, also happened to be one of his inspirations. Izzy is always confident and, when facing opponents, may even seem arrogant. He is also a trash talker who tries to get into his opponent's minds.
However, he did no such thing before facing Anderson Silva. He showed nothing but respect as Silva broke into tears during the weigh-in. The fight was an exciting back and forth ordeal. It was a clash of similar styles, and Izzy ultimately outperformed the legend in every way.
When the fight ended, Adesanya and Silva embraced. It was a passing of the torch moment. The greatest middleweight in UFC history acknowledged the future king:
"I pass the baton to you. I'm telling you this is iconic in history. I think I need the picture framed as well."
Adesanya raised the former champion's hand. After the official announcement, the two warriors bowed to each other.
#3. UFC 230: Isreal Adesanya vs. Derek Brunson
'The Last Stylebender' fought Derek Brunson in 2018. The build-up to the fight was intense. There was a lot of resentment between the pair. During the UFC 230 press conference, Brunson said:
''You're built like a senior citizen.''
On paper, Brunson was Adesanya's first big challenge. The All-American wanted to overwhelm Adesanya with his wrestling. However, on fight night, Izzy came prepared.
He outclassed the veteran UFC middleweight on the feet. While Brunson tried everything to take Adesanya down, the Nigerian managed to stay upright. Coming off a clinch, he stunned Brunson with a knee to the head in round one and finished him with a flurry of strikes.
After the stoppage, Adesanya began to celebrate. He broke out the dance moves. The former dancer's skills were on full display as he danced while a dazed Brunson recovered in his corner. Adesanya then scaled the cage and blew a kiss towards the audience. He finally finished his celebration by bowing down near the octagon door.
