Israel Adesanya News
Israel Adesanya believes his next fight will be historic
Cole Shelton - November 22, 2018
Israel Adesanya is a rising star in the UFC. The New Zealander signed with the promotion early in 2018 and has had a phenomenal year. The 29-year-old went 4-0 in 2018 and is the favorite to win breakthrough fighter of the year. Adesanya went from a virtual unknown to being ranked sixth in the middleweight division in only a matter of a couple months. In his most recent effort, Adesanya defeated Derrick Brunson at UFC 230 which put him into the top ten of the rankings. Following his stoppage victory over Brunson, Adesanya stated his desire to fight for the title in his next octagon appearance. However, with Robert Whittaker and Kelvin Gastelum booked for early in 2019, Adesanya will most likely have to win another fight before being granted that opportunity.
Israel Adesanya turns down backup spot for Robert Whittaker vs. Kelvin Gastelum fight at UFC 234
James Lynch - November 19, 2018
You can scratch Israel Adesanya off the list of potential backup fighters for the Robert Whittaker vs. Kelvin Gastelum middleweight title fight at UFC 234. That’s according to Adesanya himself who told the New Zealand Herald that following a meeting with UFC President Dana White last week he’s not interested in taking that spot.
Israel Adesanya explains how he will beat Robert Whittaker
Tom Taylor - November 14, 2018
Israel Adesanya looks more and more like a future UFC middleweight title challenger with every passing fight. In fact, after his UFC 230 execution of long-time contender Derek Brunson, his fighting for the title in the near future looks less like a likelihood and more like a downright certainty. The UFC middleweight title is currently held by Australia’s Robert Whittaker. Provided Whittaker defeats his next challenger Kelvin Gastelum, who he’ll meet at UFC 234 in late January, he could easily find himself locked in the cage with the Nigerian Kiwi Israel Adesanya soon thereafter.
VIDEO | Israel Adesanya says Yair Rodriguez' knockout at UFC Denver wasn't luck, 'That was some Matrix-type sh*t.'
Drake Riggs - November 12, 2018
“That [elbow knockout by Yair Rodriguez] was crazy. And I’m seeing a lot of people saying that that was lucky, that was a lucky knockout… Like, really smart people who, that are like legends of the game.
Weighing the options of Israel Adesanya after UFC 230
Tom Taylor - November 4, 2018
So many times before, we’ve seen massively hyped fighters stumble as the near the proverbial mountaintop. Surging UFC middleweight contender Israel Adesanya, however, could not have looked more surefooted in his massive UFC 230 showdown with missile-fisted wrestler Derek Brunson. Ahead of the fight, it was easy to imagine a world where Brunson repeatedly took Israel Adesanya down and mushed him through the chainlink so forcefully that the he oozed out the other side and onto the commentary booth in diamond-shaped chunks. But this isn’t the way it happened. Instead, Israel Adesanya shut down his foe’s takedown attempts, and forced a firefight on the feet, where he reduced Brunson to rubble with some of the slickest, most pinpoint striking we’ve seen in the Octagon.
Israel Adesanya says he nearly pulled out of UFC 230
Cole Shelton - November 4, 2018
On Saturday night, at UFC 230, Israel Adesanya had a coming out party of sorts. The rising star defeated Derek Brunson in the first round by TKO. Adesanya looked composed the entire fight, however, in the post-fight press conference, Israel Adesanya revealed his fight against Brunson almost didn’t happen. “I almost pulled out of this fight,” Adesanya said. “Like literally, three days, maybe two days away from pulling out of this fight. I was limping. You can ask Dan Hooker and people at my gym. I had the baddest — I’ll post the video so it makes sense. My knee was so inflamed.
Dana White praises Israel Adesanya after TKO of Derek Brunson: 'He's the whole package'
Tom Taylor - November 4, 2018
Last night, in the opening bout of the UFC 230 main card, red-hot UFC middleweight contender Israel Adesanya picked up the biggest win of his career, dissecting long-time contender Derek Brunson with some of the finest striking we’ve ever seen in the Octagon. With this win, just about everybody jumped aboard the Israel Adesanya hype train — and that includes UFC President Dana White. The boss showered the Nigerian New Zealander with praise shortly after the card wrapped up.
Pros react to Israel Adesanya's stoppage victory over Derek Brunson at UFC 230
Christopher Taylor - November 3, 2018
A middleweight bout between perennial division contenders Israel Adesanya and Derek Brunson took place at tonight’s UFC 230 event in New York City. Undefeated middleweight Israel Adesanya (14-0 MMA) returned to the octagon for the first time since scoring a unanimous decision victory over Brad Tavares in July.
Derek Brunson on Israel Adesanya "He ain't Jon Jones, not even close"
James Lynch - November 3, 2018
Israel Adesnaya looks build off his impressive win over Brad Tavares in July as he’s set to face Derek Brunson at UFC 230 tonight. Being a young, outspoken, undefeated middleweight, “The Last Stylebender” often finds himself compared to former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones. While many fans are quick to make these comparisons, Adesanya’s UFC 230 opponent isn’t one of them.
Derek Brunson on Israel Adesanya fight: 'Don’t be surprised if I knock him out in the first round'
Tom Taylor - November 1, 2018
At a glance, UFC 230’s Derek Brunson vs. Israel Adesanya bout looks like a two-outcome fight. The widespread thinking seems to be that Adesanya will win the fight with his superior striking, or that Brunson will win with his world-class wrestling. Based on the middleweights’ records and skillsets, you would not be faulted for thinking this way. The fighters, however, have other ideas.
Israel Adesanya predicts he might submit Derek Brunson at UFC 230
Tom Taylor - November 1, 2018
Photo by Mitch Viquez On Saturday night, the UFC will return to Madison Square Garden in New York City with UFC 230. One of the most interesting fights on the bill is a middleweight contender bout between pinpoint striker Israel Adesanya and ferocious wrestler Derek Brunson.
Israel Adesanya says next fight isn't about Derek Brunson, 'I’m the next cash cow'
Drake Riggs - August 23, 2018
There’s no denying that Israel Adesanya has star potential and he isn’t the only one that sees it. Only three fights into his UFC career and an impact has been made. The undefeated 14-0 Adesanya has blazed his way into the top 10 in no time. After two solid wins, the UFC awarded the high-level striker with the main event spot at The Ultimate Finale 27 in July.
Israel Adesanya on Derek Brunson: "The UFC made him call me out"
Tom Taylor - August 7, 2018
Red hot UFC middleweight contender Israel Adesanya will return to the Octagon at UFC 230, which goes down on November 3 in New York City. His opponent in this next fight will be established contender Derek Brunson, who called him out repeatedly before the fight was made official. While it was Brunson who called Adesanya out, Adesanya doesn’t believe Brunson actually wanted the fight. In fact, he claims the UFC made Brunson call him out.
Report | Derek Brunson vs Israel Adesanya close to finalization for UFC 230
Drake Riggs - July 30, 2018
UFC 230 is already setting up to be an unofficial middleweight tournament and the bracket only appears to be getting bigger. Already added to the November 3rd Madison Square Garden event is a trio of awesome 185-pound clashes. Most notably is the recent title challenger Yoel Romero taking on the red-hot rising contender, Paulo Costa.
Derek Brunson calls out "The Last Pretender" Israel Adesanya
Tom Taylor - July 25, 2018
Surging UFC middleweight contender Israel Adesanya has recently been angling for a fight with the former champion Anderson Silva. While Silva says he doesn’t know who Adesanya is, there’s another top middleweight who does: Derek Brunson. Derek Brunson recently took to Twitter to call for a fight with Israel Adesanya. He’s hoping to fight Adesanya at UFC 230 on November 3 in New York City — a card that will feature a trio of other, huge middleweight fights.
Anderson Silva responds to Israel Adesanya's callout — and Adesanya might not like his answer
Tom Taylor - July 24, 2018
Last week, surging UFC middleweight contender Israel Adesanya called for a showdown with former champion and MMA legend Anderson Silva, who was recently vindicated after an unfortunate USADA situation. Adesanya made his callout of the legendary Anderson Silva on his official Instagram account.
Israel Adesanya says Paulo Costa probably isn't next, but expects to fight him multiple times
Tom Taylor - July 11, 2018
Israel Adesanya, who thumped Brad Tavares in the TUF 27 Finale main event, and Paulo Costa, who smoked Uriah Hall on the UFC 226 undercard, are two of the fastest rising stars in the UFC middleweight division. In fact, they’re two of the fastest rising stars in any UFC division. Given that they both picked up decisive wins over established UFC middleweights last weekend, many fans and pundits began calling for a matchup between them. Apparently, however, any potential fight between the pair is likely to occur later on.
TUF 27 Finale Results | Israel Adesanya defeats Brad Tavares (Highlights)
Chris Taylor - July 6, 2018
A middleweight bout featuring streaking division contenders Brad Tavares and Israel Adesanya headlined tonight’s TUF 27 Finale event in Las Vegas. Adesanya entered the contest sporting a perfect 13-0 record while the Hawaiian, Tavares, came in at 17-5 overall.