UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya shared some celebratory moments with his fans in a recent social media post. ‘The Last Stylebender’ isn’t one to shy away from living large and certainly enjoys the platform being a champion provides.

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What’s more, he has much to celebrate as he’s on top of his game in the cage in more ways than one.

Chiefly, ‘Izzy’ is front and center in the MMA world and his profile has begun growing into the mainstream as well. Adesanya is fresh off his win over Paulo Costa at UFC 253 earlier in the month.

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He stomped over the Brazilian challenger and truly showcased that he’s ahead of the competition as it stands. He has set the bar to which all 185-pounders will be judged.

Israel Adesanya: Bonafide star

There has not been a single fighter who’s made as big an impact in recent years as Israel Adesanya. The Nigerian born New Zealand bred champion has taken control of the top billing position in the absence of stars like Conor McGregor.

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Chiefly, his high activity rate coupled with his insanely dominant performances has made him a household name.

Not to mention, Israel Adesanya constantly seeks out the next big challenge in his quest to be the best fighter. He’s already racked up wins over the likes of Robert Whittaker, Derek Brunson, Yoel Romero, and most recently Paulo Costa.

His stranglehold over the middleweight division is fortified through his strength of schedule. Additionally, the door is open to face consensus GOAT Jon Jones in a sure-shot legacy-defining fight.

The elite fighters have been going back and forth on social media, and the animosity continues to grow. Adesanya has claimed that he will fight ‘Bones’ Jones sometime in mid-2021.

His next challenge at 185-pounds seems to be a rematch with the former divisional champion from whom he swiped the belt. Robert ‘The Reaper’ Whittaker has come back from his title fight loss to Adesanya with two highly impressive wins.

He’s masterfully outpointed Darren Till and Jared Cannonier, thus forcing the UFC’s hand to grant him the next shot at the title.

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Darryl Pinto

2,138 Articles

Darryl Pinto is a senior MMA writer and editor at EssentiallySports. He is currently pursuing his Sport Business Management degree out of Humber College, Canada and has completed nearly 3 years with the organization. He has also served as the Head of Content for the MLB department. Darryl specializes in predictions, reporting, and covering UFC events live. Having competed in MMA at a collegiate level, he consciously attempts to integrate an athlete's breakdown of MMA techniques like striking, defense, and grappling into his penmanship of the sport as he seeks to give the reader a well-rounded point of view. Before becoming the lead MMA writer, Darryl has also written articles for the NFL and boxing divisions. He began watching UFC 11 years ago at UFC 117 when Chael Sonnen went to war against Anderson Silva.

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