Former UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya is one of the best fighters in MMA. The New Zealand fighter has an impressive record of 23-2 and is one of the biggest draws in the middleweight division. He will be fighting for the title rematch against Alex Pereira at UFC 287. It will be Adesanya’s first fight since losing the title he held for over three years. Ahead of his fight, let us take a look at all of his losses in MMA and also during his career as a professional kickboxer.

Israel Adesanya and his UFC record – wins and losses

Israel Adesanya is one of the biggest UFC stars who started making an impact in the promotion as soon as he debuted in 2018 after defeating Rob Wilkinson. He married on the momentum from his debut fight to amass a 9-fight winning streak, capturing the interim middleweight title at UFC 236 from Kelvin Gastelum. He later went on to become the undisputed champion after defeating Robert Whittaker at UFC 243.

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However, he suffered his first loss in Dana White’s promotion at UFC 259 to Jan Blachowicz, failing to capture the light heavyweight title. But then he went on to defend his middleweight title three more times and emerged successful on all three occasions before losing the championship to arch-rival Alex Pereira at UFC 281.

Israel Adesanya – first loss in MMA against Jan Blachowicz in the UFC

Adesanya’s first loss in MMA came at the hands of Jan Blachowicz. Blachowicz had just captured the vacant light heavyweight title after beating Dominick Reyes via knockout in the second round. The former champion Jon Jones had left the division to challenge for the light heavyweight title.

This was the perfect time for Adesanya to move up and join a list of elite few who have been champions in two different weight classes. He capitalized on this opportunity, and the UFC set up the fight. This was Blachowicz’s first title defense, and he was an underdog going in to the fight.

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However, Adesanya didn’t make up for the weight disparity and weighed 15 pounds lighter than the Polish Powerhouse did. This move backfired spectacularly as Blachowicz outclassed Adesanya on the ground. The first round was fairly even, but it all went down for ‘The Last Stylebender’ from thereon.

The judges awarded Blachowicz the unanimous decision win, which also included a few 10-8 rounds in between. It was total domination, but Adesanya wasn’t deterred. In his words, he dared to be great, and he’ll come back stronger.

Israel Adesanya – second UFC loss came against Alex Pereira

Despite his loss to Jan Blachowicz, Adesanya maintained a 12-fight winning streak in his middleweight run until he faced the Brazilian ace, Alex Pereira, at UFC 281. It ruined the Kiwi fighter’s chance to equal the record of 13 consecutive wins, a record held by UFC 2023 Hall of Fame Inductee, Anderson Silva. It was the first time that Israel Adesanya was finished in a fight (Knockout or submission) in his entire MMA career so far.

Coming into the fight, Adesanya sported green trunks which represented his native land of Nigeria. He started the fight pretty well. He staggered the Brazilian ace and almost finished him, but Pereira was saved as the first round came to a close. The second round was in favor of the Brazilian as he scored a takedown despite eating some hard leg kicks from Israel Adesanya.

The third round saw the former champion score his first-ever takedown attempt in his MMA career, which saw him take the third round under his belt. By the time the fourth round started, Alex Pereira looked fatigued and worn out. This enabled Adesanya to land some significant strikes, and the Brazilian looked in trouble. The fifth round was a do-or-die situation for ‘Poatan’ as he was instructed by his team in the corner to go for the kill. He was able to land some great shots, and his signature left hook made Adesanya stumble. Pereira kept going at ‘The Last Stylebender’ with some serious strikes before the referee intervened and handed him a TKO win.

His losses during his kickboxing days

The above-mentioned losses are the only ones Adesanya has suffered throughout. But that wasn’t the only martial art ‘The Last Stylebender’ had participated in. He was also a renowned kickboxer in his own right and had an incredible record of 75-5. Four of his five losses have come via decision. While he had lost only one fight via a knockout.

His rivalry with Alex Pereira began when the Brazilian defeated him twice in Glory Kickboxing, once by knockout and once by decision at Glory Kickboxing. Incidentally, that was also Adesanya’s last kickboxing fight before he moved to MMA. Simon Marcus, Jason Wilnis, and Filip Verlinden were the other fighters who beat him. However, he did avenge his loss against Verlinden in his very next fight.

Details on Israel Adesanya’s next fight

The UFC 287 headliner is one of the most anticipated fights of the year. It will feature the rematch between Isreal Adesanya and Alex Pereira for the UFC middleweight championship. Alex Pereira has been on a roll with a 4-fight winning streak under his belt. This is an opportunity for ‘The Last Stylebender’ to prove his doubters wrong and defeat the Brazilian after three unsuccessful outings against him.

Adesanya has made it clear that he is out to take revenge this time out. He doesn’t care about claiming back his belt. But he is more interested in defeating Alex Pereira once and for all. However, it won’t be easy for the former champion. He will have to put in one of his best performances if he has to beat Pereira, who seems to have Adesanya’s number.

Do you think Adesanya will finally overcome Pereira at UFC 287?

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