
UFC Unfiltered
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.
“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.
Israel Adesanya of New Zealand attempts to kick Anderson Silva of Brazil in their middleweight bout during the UFC 234 at Rod Laver Arena on February 10, 2019 in the Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
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.
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.
Adesanya became the undisputed UFC middleweight champion at UFC 243 after knocking out Robert Whittaker in the second round.
Israel Adesanya of Nigeria celebrates after his knockout victory over Robert Whittaker of New Zealand in their UFC middleweight championship fight during the UFC 243 event at Marvel Stadium on October 06, 2019 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
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 Adeanya the new title of undisputed champion.
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
Israel Adesanya of Nigeria prepares to fight Alex Pereira of Brazil in the UFC middleweight championship bout during the UFC 281 event at Madison Square Garden on November 12, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
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Israel Adesanya has 14 career UFC fights.