Was Israel Adesanya ever p4p?

Israel Mobolaji Temitayo Odunayo Oluwafemi Owolabi Adesanya is a MMA fighter from Nigeria and New Zealand. He is called The Last Stylebender and he competes in the Middleweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championships (UFC). He has also been a boxer and a kickboxer in the past.

Born in Lagos, Nigeria on July 22, 1989, Israel Adesanya first trained as a kickboxer and then later shifted to MMA. He came to the UFC at UFC 221: Romero vs Rockhold on February 10, 2018. In his debut, he faced Rob Wilkinson, whom he defeated via KO/TKO by punches in Round 2. He is a former 2-time UFC Middleweight Champion. Besides this, he also was an interim UFC Middleweight Champion for 1-time, won Performance of the Night 6-times and Fight of the Night 2-times. He also competed at Australian Fighting Championship (AFC) and is a former 1-time AFC Middleweight Champion.

The Last Stylebender has till now created a MMA record of 27 fights. He won 24 fights (16 by knockout and 8 by decision) and lost 3 fights (1 by knockout and 2 by submission). He failed to defend his UFC Middleweight Championship against Sean Strickland at UFC 293: Adesanya vs. Strickland on September 10, 2023.

Israel Adesanya Pound For Pound Rankings in the UFC

The Last Stylebender is a part of the pound-for-pound rankings in the UFC. Presently, he is no.5 in the pound-for-pound rankings for men in the UFC. Nevertheless, he does not concern himself with all these rankings. He considers himself to be the best fighter and just wants to focus on his fight.

Best of Israel Adesanya in the UFC

The Last Stylebender has had some worthy opponents in his UFC career till now. Here’s taking a look at his finest performances inside the Octagon.

Israel Adesanya vs Rob Wilkinson

The UFC debut for The Last Stylebender. It happened at UFC 221: Romero vs Rockhold on February 10, 2018 in Perth, Australia. Adesanya beat Wilkinson via KO/TKO by punches in 3 minutes 37 seconds of Round 2 and gained Performance of the Night in his debut.

Israel Adesanya vs Brad Tavares

This fight happened at The Ultimate Fighter: Undefeated Finale on July 6, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. Adesanya beat Tavares by unanimous decision in 5 minutes of Round 5, earning Performance of the Night in the process.

Israel Adesanya vs Derek Brunson

The Last Stylebender and The One clashed at UFC 230: Cormier vs Lewis on November 3, 2018 in New York City, New York United States. Adesanya defeated Brunson via KO/TKO with punches in 4 minutes 51 seconds of Round 1. He was honored with Performance of the Night for his efforts.

Israel Adesanya vs Kelvin Gastelum

These two locked horns at UFC 236: Holloway vs Poirier 2 on April 13, 2019 in Atlanta , Georgia, United States. The UFC Middleweight Champion was to be decided in this fight. Adesanya beat Gastelum via unanimous decision in 5 minutes of Round 5 and became the interim UFC Middleweight Champion. He was awarded with Fight of the Night.

Israel Adesanya vs Robert Whittaker

The Last Stylebender duked it out with The Reaper at UFC 234: Whittaker vs Adesanya on February 9, 2019 in Melbourne, Australia. Adesanya beat Whittaker via KO/TKO with a punch in 3 minutes 33 seconds of Round 2. He became the unified UFC Middleweight Champion and received Performance of the Night.

Israel Adesanya vs Paulo Costa

The Last Stylebender and The Eraser fought it out at UFC 253: Adesanya vs Costa on September 26, 2020 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The Last Stylebender ended The Eraser via KO/TKO with a punch in 3 minutes 59 seconds of Round 2. He successfully retained his UFC Middleweight Championship and received Performance of the Night.

Israel Adesanya vs Alex Pereira

Alex Pereira defended his UFC Middleweight Championship against Israel Adesanya at UFC 287: Pereira vs Adesanya 2 on April 8, 2023 in Miami, Florida, United States. The Last Stylebender beat Poatan via KO/TKO by a punch in 4 minutes 21 seconds of Round 2. With this, Adesanya became a 2-time UFC Middleweight Champion and also won Performance of the Night.