With the sheer number of fights the UFC put on and the volume of stars that now grace the sport, it’s easy to forget some of the past. Israel, ‘The Last Stylebender’ Adesanya, had a remarkable twelve-month period from April 2018, when he was about to have only his second fight in the UFC. Five fights and twelve months later, he fought for middleweight gold. We recap his phenomenal journey below.
Marvin Vettori: Birth of a rivalry (April 2018)
Marvin Vettori and Israel Adesanya’s history actually dates back to a few months before they fought; December 2017. Adesanya was in attendance at UFC 219 to witness Vettori’s draw against Omari Akhmedov, and in the fighter hotel after the event, the pair came across each other’s paths. As they made eye contact, Adesanya, according to his version of events, nodded at Vettori and received a cold stare in return. Annoying Adesanya, he turned to his coaches and said, ”I want to fight him (Vettori) next.”
On April 14, 2018, Israel Adesanya got his wish and faced off against Vettori, a bout that began his 365-day run towards the UFC middleweight title. The match-up came on the undercard of Dustin Poirier vs. Justin Gaethje 1. It was the second fight of Adesanya’s UFC career following a second-round TKO over Rob Wilkinson in his debut, which took his overall MMA record to 12-0.
The fight with Vettori went the distance, and Adesanya won on the judge’s scorecards (29-28 x 2, 28-29.) The future middleweight champion said that he gained a lot from his fight with Vettori, putting him in good stead when facing his future opponents.
”The fight with Marvin Vettori was a learning experience, definitely. It showed me that I was able to belong in the UFC. I was able to read certain things that he did on the fly. I’m talking within split seconds, and it showed me like, ‘yeah, ok, you are right where you need to be” – Adesanya told UFC Fight Pass.
Adesanya vs. Brad Tavares (July 2018)
Less than three months after his win over Vettori (84 days to be exact), Adesanya was back in the cage, this occasion as a headliner for the first time. His opponent, Brad Tavares, had won five of his last six, with his only loss coming against Robert Whittaker, the future middleweight champion.
The event in Las Vegas, Nevada, was the first time Adesanya had been involved in a five-round battle, and he said that his fight with Tavares was one of the most fun he’d been involved in as an MMA fighter. Adesanya found his range and, as the fight progressed, landed multiple body kicks on Tavares. During the twenty-five minutes, Adesanya displayed his full arsenal as he stuffed numerous takedown attempts, landed his own takedowns, and won the stand-up exchanges. A late choke from Adesanya failed to get his Tavares to tap, but as the final buzzer sounded, it was clear that there was only one winner. Two wins in three months.
Fight with Derek Brunson (November 2018)
The 14-0 Israel Adesanya remained active in 2018 and booked a fight against the number 6 ranked Derek Brunson for his next contest. Tensions were high as the pair faced off in the UFC 230 pre-fight press conference as Brunson dismissed Adesanya’s threat due to him being ‘too skinny.’
UFC 230 was held at Madison Square Garden in New York, one of the world’s most iconic sporting venues. Questions would be asked whether or not Adesanya could handle being on the big stage, but to him, it was never in doubt; he was made for these moments.
Brunson began the fight well but struggled to implement his game plan of taking Adesanya down to the ground. During one of these attempts, he ate a knee to the head which stunned him, and sensing blood, Adesanya pounced with an uppercut and flying knee, knocking Brunson down to the canvas. He somehow survived, but it wasn’t for long as Adesanya began picking his shots at will, dropping Brunson several times before Herb Dean stepped in to prevent further damage. ‘The Last Stylebender’ closed 2018 in style and with a huge statement in the middleweight division.
Adesanya vs. Silva: Changing of the guard (February 2019)
After defeating Derek Brunson, Adesanya was offered a fight against one of his MMA idols, Anderson Silva, at UFC 234 in Melbourne, Australia. The card was initially meant to be headlined by middleweight champion Robert Whittaker and challenger Kelvin Gastelum. With Whittaker having to pull out of the fight due to injury hours before UFC 234 got underway, Adesanya vs. Silva was bumped up to the main event slot. The fight occurred just 302 days after Adesanya’s fight with Marvin Vettori.
”Fighting Anderson Silva was one of the best moments of my life because… think about it, if you were a basketball player and you got to play against Michael Jordan, that would blow your mind. So fighting Anderson Silva, when I was in the cage, I was cool with it, but there was a moment in the third round where it kind of dawned on me like ”holy s**t, I’m fighting Anderson Silva.”
Adesanya began the fight well and caught Silva with a right hook, which wobbled him briefly. Cautious about throwing the kitchen sink at his idol out of respect for his ability to turn a fight on its head at any given moment, Adesanya remained composed and took his time.
Despite being 48 years old, Silva showed great reflexes in round two to evade punches from his younger dance partner. A low kick in the third hurt Silva before he nearly knocked out Adesanya with a flying knee against the cage. Luckily for ‘The Last Stylebender,’ he saw it coming and expertly dodged it out of the way. The fight went the distance, and the respect the two men had for each other was evident after the final bell as Adesanya took the decision.
Title fight vs. Kelvin Gastelum (April 2019)
With the middleweight champion, Robert Whittaker, still recovering from his hernia surgery, the UFC wanted to keep the division moving so booked Israel Adesanya vs. Kelvin Gastelum for the interim title at UFC 236. The fight occurred 365 days after Adesanya’s bout with Marvin Vettori, making it his fifth fight in a calendar year.
The fight was another example of Adesanya showing his versatility and array of skills. He knocked Gastelum down early and it wasn’t long before he was stopping takedowns. It wasn’t plain sailing for Adesanya, though, as he was hit with a head kick which stunned him into retreat. He weathered the storm and, once he composed himself, landed some big punches which eventually sent Gastelum to the canvas. The fight became an all-out war in the final round, and Adesanya got yet another knockdown with ten seconds left. Gastelum survived the onslaught, but Adesanya had done enough in the judge’s eyes to win the fight on points (48-46 x3.)
Remarkably, Israel Adesanya became the UFC Interim Middleweight Champion after just fourteen months of being in the company, an astounding feat considering the level of opposition in the middleweight division. Although he displays a high level of confidence and practices manifestation, the speed of his ascent would have come as a surprise, even to him.
”How did I even get here? I’m just a fan; I keep saying [it]. I’m just a fan of the UFC, and somehow, I ended up here. It’s crazy” – reflected Adesanya.
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