Israel Adesanya during his UFC debut at UFC 221 ( Credits: FightNews TV)
It wasn’t that long ago when Israel Adesanya made his UFC debut
Adesanya is the reigning king of the middleweight division. ‘The Last Stylebender’ has had little to no trouble dispatching his opponents ever since he made his UFC debut.
This weekend he will be defending his middleweight title for the third time, against Marvin Vettori in the main event of UFC 263.
And, today, the Nigerian is one of the most marketable athletes in the mixed martial arts world.
So, when did Israel Adesanya make his UFC debut?
His UFC journey began only in the year 2018. He took on Rob Wilkinson at UFC 221 on the 11th of February, 2018. He needed just two rounds to knockout Wilkinson, and eventually winning the Performance of The Night bonus.
And just a year and a half later, he had already become the middleweight champion in the UFC. He beat the dangerous Robert Whittaker in his own backyard at UFC 243.
Since then, Izzy has defended his middleweight title twice. The first time against Yoel Romero at UFC 248, and the second against Paulo Costa at UFC 253.
Prior to joining the UFC, Adesanya plied his trade in the Hex Fight Series, AFC, Wu Ling Fen and many other promotions based in China, New Zealand and Australia.
He was also a well-accomplished kickboxer, with a beyond impressive record of 75 wins and just 5 losses in a career that began way back in 2010.
It doesn’t stop there. Adesanya was also a professional boxer, who has a record of 5 wins and 1 loss, in a short span from 2014 November to 2015 November.
It was only after his move to the UFC in 2018, Adesanya began fully concentrating on MMA alone.
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