On Jan. 22, 2015, Israel Adesanya sent a direct message to UFC president Dana White pleading for a chance to compete in the UFC. At the time, Adesanya was 2-0 in MMA, and it's rare when someone with just two fights gets a shot in the UFC.
"Dana! My man we ready when you are. Just give me 1 shot, get me to that octagon. I'll take care of the rest," Adesanya wrote.
Adesanya had not fought in any combat sports discipline at the time in 2015 when he had messaged White. But he'd go on that year to be incredibly busy. He went on in that calendar year to go 7-0 with six KOs in kickboxing. He was 5-0 with 1 KO in boxing and was 3-0 with three TKOs in MMA. In total, Adesanya went 15-0 with 10 KOs in 2015.
While some felt he'd come out of nowhere when debuted in the UFC in 2018, his phenomenal 2015 was a clear sign we should have seen this greatness coming.
Adesanya made his debut in the UFC at UFC 221 on Feb. 11, 2018, when he defeated Rob Wilkinson. One calendar year later, on Feb. 10, 2019, he had just defeated the great Anderson Silva to go 5-0 in the UFC and clearly establish himself as one of the sport's most iconic figures.
He'll challenge champion Dricus du Plessis for the middleweight title on Saturday, Aug. 17 (Aug. 18 in Australia) in the main event of UFC 305 in Perth, Australia. Adesanya hasn't fought since losing the belt by a one-sided decision to Sean Strickland at UFC 293 on Sept. 10, 2023.
One of the narratives leading into the fight has been that Adesanya might be on the decline and, if you look strictly at recent performance, you might believe that's true. He's 1-2 in his last three bouts.
That, though, is a very short-sighted way to look at it. He's 4-3 against fighters who have held a UFC title and 20-0 against everyone else.
| Loss | Unanimous decision | Sean Strickland | UFC 293 | Sept. 10, 2023 |
| Win | TKO 2 | Alex Pereira | UFC 287 | April 8, 2023 |
| Loss | TKO 5 | Alex Pereira | UFC 281 | Nov. 12, 2022 |
| Win | Unanimous decision | Robert Whittaker | UFC 271 | Feb. 12, 2022 |
| Loss | Unanimous decision | Jan Blachowicz | UFC 259 | March 6, 2021 |
| Win | KO 2 | Robert Whittaker | UFC 243 | Oct. 6, 2019 |
| Win | Unanimous decision | Anderson Silva | UFC 234 | Feb. 10, 2019 |
Adesanya is a slight favorite at DraftKings sportsbook to defeat du Plessis and go 5-3 against one-time UFC champions. Adesanya is -118 and du Plessis is -102. Is it concerning that he's not really getting mauled by opponents with a strong wrestling base or submitted by black belts in jiu-jitsu, but rather losing in striking battles given that his base is striking?
Perhaps, but it probably goes deeper than that.
Adesanya fought at a breakneck pace against top middleweights, carried the weight of the promotion in many of those fights, while also advancing political causes. There was a lot on his plate and so the 11 months off might be a blessing.
Pictures of him from his training show him more muscular than ever, with a broad, thick chest, more defined biceps and washboard abdominal muscles.
"It's hard to tell if it was," White said. "But I'll tell you this: When you look at Israel Adesanya and you look at Alex, right? They came from kickboxing, they had a story and they fought each other and everything else. But both of these coming in and accomplishing what they've accomplished in such a short amount of time, and fighting each other, it's just amazing."
There is a vast difference between fighters who win championships and are rated in the top three to five compared to the rest. Those at the top are generally some combination of the following: better athletes; smarter fighters; better at handling pressure; in better condition; more relaxed; more experienced; mix their tactics together better and understand how to win against all styles.
So, the fact that Adesanya has a 57.1 winning percentage against opponents who at one point in their careers held a UFC title should be seen as a positive, not a negative. He's highly successful against the best opposition in the world, defeating the opponents who are most difficult to beat. On top of that, he defeats those he's expected to defeat.
It reminds me of what Chuck Tanner, the manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates, said after the eventual world champions acquired shortstop Tim Foli. The Pirates sacrificed offense for defense by putting Foli into their lineup.
"He makes the ordinary play extraordinarily well," Tanner said.
And Adesanya handles the ordinary fighters extraordinarily well and more than holds his own against the elites.
Caio Borralho, the UFC's No. 12-ranked middleweight, who meets Cannonier in the main event of UFC Vegas on Aug. 24 at the Apex, hopes to be one of those highly ranked fighters in the not too distant future.
He likes Adesanya to defeat du Plessis despite Adesanya's 1-2 mark in his last three.
"This time, I think Adesanya is going to win this fight," Borralho said. "Stylistically, I think the styles don't match at all. Dricus just goes forward. He tries to punch and push the pace up. But I think Adesanya is going to manage the distance all the time, circle out and kick a lot on Dricus. I think he can win by decision or maybe a knockout in the third round if Dricus gets tired."
Adesanya figures to be a Hall of Famer regardless of what he does from this point in his career. He's won the title on two different occasions and was extraordinarily dominant for a long stretch, despite facing elite opposition regularly.
Du Plessis may win on Saturday, but it is not wise to ever count Israel Adesanya out.