Israel Adesanya is the only two-time middleweight champion in the UFC, who has had several glorious moments cemented under his name in a very short span.
He became a world champion within two years of his UFC debut and also went on to become a massive PPV draw. Today, he is one of the most popular UFC fighters in the world. Although ‘Izzy’ is not the champion right now, he is still regarded as a major superstar.
That said, Israel Adesanya recently looked back at achieving one of his lifetime achievements four years back. Recalling his UFC 234 headliner against Anderson Silva, ‘Izzy’ appeared emotional;.
He cited the fight against Anderson Silva as equivalent to playing basketball against Michael Jordan. Meanwhile, Israel Adesanya also paralleled main-eventing at Madison Square Garden Main to be a stunt previously performed by many legends including Muhammad Ali.
Speaking for the UFC’s official YT, he said, “That was beautiful ‘cuz MSG. Madison Square Garden even when you walk through [it] yourself. You see the pictures of icons that have uh graced those walls. That have danced under those lights and for a guy like Muhammad Ali who’s a legend in life and we dance under the same lights. I mean that’s you know that’s a tick [for a] lifetime achievement.”
Israel Adesanya beat Anderson Silva at UFC 234 and then went on to run through the e tire 185 lbs division. His first defeat in the UFC came against Jan Blachowicz in a failed attempt to become the light heavyweight champion. However, Adesanya has now been cracked at 185 lbs division too.
Also Read | Dana White Gives a Major Update on Conor McGregor Returning To The UFC in 2024- “He is in Dubai”
Which Fighters Did Israel Adesanya Lose Against In The UFC Middleweight Division?
The first man to defeat ‘Izzy’ at UFC’s 185 lbs division is his former nemesis from the kickboxing world- Alex Pereira.
Pereira previously had two wins over Israel Adesanya in kickboxing. He knocked the middleweight title out of ‘Izzy’ at UFC 281 and privileged himself in the rivalry with a 3-0 lead (2 in kickboxing ad 1 in MMA).
However, Israel Adesanya avenged the defeat at UFC 287. He knocked out Alex Pereira cold to reclaim his middleweight title. Nevertheless, Adesanya lost to Sean Strickland at UFC 293 via unanimous decision. It remains to be seen when he returns to fighting from the loss and whether he can be the champion again.
