Israel Adesanya is one of the top mixed martial artists in the world. The current UFC Middleweight Champion has exploded onto the sport and already occupies a seat amongst the upper echelons. Considering 2018 was his breakout year in the UFC, it is remarkable to see how quickly Izzy has risen to the top.

However, he does have heritage as a kickboxer before his MMA career. But just kickboxing won’t cut it in MMA, so Izzy has been trying to round his skills out. This includes one of the most rudimentary styles that any aspiring MMA fighter should learn. That is Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

Adesanya got his purple belt in BJJ recently awarded to him by his coach Andre Galvao. He got the belt during his current trip out to Los Angeles, where he also attended the Mike Tyson and Roy Jones Jr. fight. Izzy sat in as a commentator.

Adesanya getting a purple belt in BJJ is a good sign. This gives Izzy some more weapons to win his fights, especially if he gets put on his back. A purple belt in itself is quite impressive, so good on Izzy for actively expanding his skill-set.

 Israel Adesanya: Another facet of offense for Izzy?

It is unlikely Israel Adesanya used his purple belt BJJ skills for anything more than getting himself out of bad wrestling situations. His idol Anderson Silva once had one of the most unlikely wins against Chael Sonnen based on his elite submission game off his back. Having that ability will never count against you.

But no one should forget that Izzy’s bread and butter lie with his slick striking. He was a kickboxer and that is the reason why he is one of the most ferocious strikers in the UFC right now. Watching his knockouts of Robert Whittaker and Paulo Costa are proof enough of his ability.

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It will be interesting to see if Izzy gets to use his BJJ in his title fights. Maybe that is the way to beat Jan Blachowicz? We will find out as his career progresses.