Israel Adesanya

Israel Adesanya, known as "The Last Stylebender," is a Nigerian-New Zealand mixed martial artist who competes in the middleweight division of the UFC.

Born in Lagos, Nigeria, Adesanya relocated with his family to Rotorua, New Zealand, where he first found his way into martial arts before dedicating himself fully to combat sports. He eventually settled in Auckland, joining City Kickboxing under head coach Eugene Bareman, the gym that would shape the rest of his fighting career.

Before stepping into mixed martial arts, Adesanya built an extensive professional kickboxing résumé that included a run through the sport's global rankings and a shot at the GLORY middleweight title, cementing his credentials as a world-class striker long before he ever signed with a major MMA promotion.

That kickboxing foundation defined the style Adesanya brought to the Octagon: a rangy, cerebral striker who relies on footwork, feints, distance management, and sharp counters rather than brute forward pressure, earning him a reputation as one of the sport's most technically gifted strikers.

Adesanya signed with the UFC in 2018 and rose through the middleweight ranks quickly, capturing an interim title before unifying the belt with a knockout win over Robert Whittaker to become undisputed champion. He went on to defend the title through a string of high-profile fights against contenders including Yoel Romero, Paulo Costa, and Marvin Vettori, before later reclaiming the middleweight crown a second time in a rematch with Alex Pereira.

With a championship resume that ranks among the most decorated in middleweight history, trailing only division legend Anderson Silva in total title-fight victories, Adesanya stands as one of the greatest 185-pound fighters the sport has produced, a striker whose technical artistry and championship pedigree helped define an era of the middleweight division.