Athletes
Israel Adesanya Career Highlights: Title Wins To Best Fights
Learn More About Israel Adesanya’s Dominant Rise To The Title Ahead Of His Main Event Fight Against Nassourdine Imavov In Riyadh
Israel Adesanya held the UFC middleweight crown for four years, defeating opponents such as Robert Whittaker, Marvin Vettori, Anderson Silva, and Kelvin Gastelum along the way.
Learn more about Israel “The Last Stylebender” Adesanya’s career highlights, which range from title wins to win streaks, and his journey inside the UFC Octagon.
Career Highlights
Israel Adesanya | Dynamic Debuts
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Israel Adesanya | Dynamic Debuts
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- Israel Adesanya made his UFC debut on February 11, 2018 against Rob Wilkinson at UFC 221 in Perth, Australia.
- Adesanya defeated Kelvin Gastelum at UFC 236 to win the interim UFC middleweight title.
- “The Last Stylebender” became the undisputed middleweight champion at UFC 243 after knocking out Robert Whittaker in the second round.
- Prior to his bout against Alex Pereira at UFC 281, Adesanya had five successful title defenses.
- Adesanya has seven title fight wins, the second most in the middleweight division behind Anderson Silva who had 11.
Standout Fights
UFC 234: Israel Adesanya vs Anderson Silva (2/10/2019)
“The Last Stylebender” put his undefeated record on the line against future Hall of Famer Anderson Silva at UFC 234. The main event was originally slated to be Robert Whittaker vs Kelvin Gastelum, but a last-minute injury from Whittaker bumped Adesanya vs Silva to a three-round main event spot.
Adesanya won the fight by unanimous decision and earned Fight of the Night honors. This victory put Adesanya’s record at 16-0 and set him up to face Gastelum for the interim middleweight title.
UFC 236: Israel Adesanya vs Kelvin Gastelum (4/13/2019)
Fourteen months after making his UFC debut, Adesanya got his first taste of UFC gold against Gastelum when the two battled it out for the interim UFC middleweight title.
Adesanya defeated Gastelum by unanimous decision (48-46, 48-46, 48-46), with all of the judges scoring the fifth round 10-8 in Adesanya’s favor. It was a fight that brought the crowd to their feet as the score was tied at two rounds apiece heading into the final round.
UFC 243: Israel Adesanya vs Robert Whittaker 1 (10/6/2019)
Adesanya became the undisputed UFC middleweight champion at UFC 243 after knocking out Robert Whittaker in the second round.
Adesanya dropped Whittaker in the final seconds of the first round and the fight could’ve been over if the horn had not signaled the conclusion of the round. “The Last Stylebender” went to work again in the second frame, proving to have stronger defense against Whittaker. Three-and-a-half minutes into the round, Adesanya landed a right, followed up by a left that sent Whittaker down to the canvas and gave Adesanya the new title of undisputed champion.
Israel Adesanya’s UFC Record
UFC 305 (9/18/24) Adesanya was stopped by Dricus Du Plessis via submission (rear naked choke) at 3:38 of the fourth round, failing to regain the UFC middleweight title
UFC 293 (9/10/23) Adesanya lost a five round unanimous decision to Sean Strickland, losing his UFC middleweight title
UFC 287 (4/8/23) Adesanya knocked out Alex Pereira at 4:21 of the second round, regaining his UFC middleweight title
UFC 281 (11/12/22) Adesanya was stopped by Alex Pereira via strikes at 2:01 of the fifth round, losing the UFC middleweight title
UFC 276 (7/2/22) Adesanya won a five round unanimous decision over Jared Cannonier to retain his UFC middleweight title
UFC 271 (2/12/22) Adesanya won a five round unanimous decision over Robert Whittaker to retain his UFC middleweight title
UFC 263 (6/12/21) Adesanya won a five round unanimous decision over Marvin Vettori to retain his UFC middleweight title
UFC 259 (3/6/21) Adesanya lost a five round unanimous decision to Jan Blachowicz in a fight for the UFC light heavyweight title
UFC 253 (9/27/20) Adesanya stopped Paulo Costa via strikes at 3:59 of the second round to retain his UFC middleweight title
UFC 248 (3/7/20) Adesanya won a five round unanimous decision over Yoel Romero to retain his UFC middleweight title
UFC 243 (10/6/19) Adesanya knocked out Robert Whittaker at 3:33 of the second round to unify the UFC middleweight title and become undisputed champion
UFC 236 (4/13/19) Adesanya won a five round unanimous decision over Kelvin Gastelum to win the interim UFC middleweight title
UFC 234 (2/10/19) Adesanya won a three round unanimous decision over Anderson Silva
UFC 230 (11/3/18) Adesanya stopped Derek Brunson via strikes at 4:51 of the first round
TUF 27 Finale (7/6/18) Adesanya won a five round unanimous decision over Brad Tavares
UFC on FOX (4/14/18) Adesanya won a three round split decision over Marvin Vettori
UFC 221 (2/11/18) Adesanya stopped Rob Wilkinson via strikes at 3:37 of the second round
Rapid Q&A
What is Israel Adesanya’s record?
- 24-4
What is Israel Adesanya’s age?
- 35 years old
How tall is Israel Adesanya?
- 6’4”
What is Israel Adesanya’s reach?
- 80 in
Where is Israel Adesanya from?
- Israel Adesanya was born in Lagos, Nigeria, but fights out of Auckland, New Zealand.
What weight division is Israel Adesanya in?
- Israel Adesanya fights in the middleweight division and was the middleweight champion from 2019 to 2022. He had five successful title defenses. Adesanya made his UFC light heavyweight debut against Jan Błachowicz in a fight for the title.
Has Israel Adesanya ever lost?
- Adesanya’s only losses have come in title fights. He lost to Błachowicz at UFC 259 for the light heavyweight title and lost his middleweight title to Alex Pereira at UFC 281 in November 2022. After defeating Alex Pereira in Miami to claim his title, Adesanya lost the belt to Sean Strickland in Sydney at UFC 293. He fought for the title again in 2024, losing to Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 305 in Perth.
What is Israel Adesanya’s kickboxing record?
- Israel Adesanya’s kickboxing record is 75-5, with 29 wins by knockout.
How many UFC Fights Does Israel Adesanya Have In His Career?
Israel Adesanya has 17 career UFC fights.
UFC Fight Night: Adesanya vs Imavov took place live from anb Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on February 1, 2025. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!