When one thinks of Israel Adesanya, kickboxing and MMA immediately spring to mind. One would be surprised, however, to know that ‘The Last Stylebender’ competed in professional boxing as well. The Nigerian-born Kiwi competed in six pro-boxing bouts between November 2014 and November 2015, while simultaneously competing in his primary combat disciplines. Adesanya racked up a record of 5-1, with one win by KO, and one loss by decision in his debut. However, the former middleweight king has no plans of competing in boxing, for the foreseeable future at least.

Why would Izzy pass up on the chance to make a fortune through professional boxing, though? His African counterpart Francis Ngannou made a fat paycheck for both his boxing bouts. Even Kamaru Usman expressed an interest in boxing Canelo Alvarez in 2022. ‘The Last Stylebender’, on #164 of the JRE MMA Show, revealed that boxing is too limited by its rules for him to compete in it. Here’s what he said to Joe Rogan, “Back in the day when it was ‘UFC vs Boxing’ or whatever, I was like, ‘Well, this [MMA] is real fighting’. Do you want to see what the baddest person on the planet is? Fight! No one’s telling you [that] you can’t use your weapons, but you want to take away all my weapons. That’s why I don’t think I’ll ever box again because I just think it’s too limiting.”

On competing in kickboxing again, Adesanya said, “Even [with] kickboxing, I feel like, it would be really hard for me to [compete], because it’s too limiting. I do like aspects of grappling that I can use in a fight. But yeah, nah. I like full-fledged fighting.”

Although Adesanya has displayed his grappling prowess in fights, there is no record of him competing in grappling tournaments. ‘The Last Stylebender’ expressed that he would like to have at least one submission victory in his UFC career.

“I love grappling”- Israel Adesanya recalls his grappling prowess in past UFC fights

Adesanya has been adding to his fighting arsenal by investing in grappling, since making the transition to MMA. The former middleweight king started grappling in 2010 and 10 years later, he received his purple belt in Jiu-Jitsu under ADCC and IBJJF champion Andre Galvao. Naturally, Izzy showcased his grappling prowess through superior take-down defense in his clash against Derek Brunson and even scored a takedown against his former arch-nemesis Alex Pereira at UFC 281.

Here’s what Adesanya said while recalling key grappling exchanges in past fights, “I love grappling. Like, I feel like a ninja cat when I’m grappling and I’m in that flow state. I feel like, it’s fun to play with. But then again, I’ve only ever shown cases of [grappling in my fights]. Not just the Pereira fight in Madison Square Garden. [Kelvin] Gastelum, I had a triangle [choke] on him. [Brad] Tavares, I had a guillotine [choke] at the end of the round. Some other ones with the kimura traps. But yeah, just no one’s really put me in that position to make me have to really use my offensive grappling. But again, when I get taken to the ground, I’m just like ‘F**k, I’m just going to stand up’.”

If we go by the earliest metrics laid by MMA pundits, the best base for the fight game is Wrestling, and while this may not apply to everyone, UFC greats like Georges St-Pierre and Jon Jones have employed their grappling skills to neutralize their opposition on countless occasions. And so, an efficient mixture of striking and grappling becomes crucial for anyone looking to become a top dog in their career.

If not boxing or kickboxing, will Israel Adesanya compete in a grappling tournament anytime soon? Will he follow the path of Demetrious Johnson, who has been competing in Gi tournaments off late? Let us know in the comments section below