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UFC middleweight champion, Israel Adesanya last fought at UFC 263. ‘The Last Stylebender’ bettered Marvin Vettori via a lopsided decision in a 5-round contest in the main event of the pay-per-view. He went up 2-0 against Vettori in the process, having had a split decision win over ‘The Italian Dream’ before. This was Adesanya’s third defense of his middleweight title.

Adesanya is expected to take on Robert Whittaker next in what will be yet another rematch for the middleweight kingpin. He fought the Aussie before at UFC 243, earning a second-round T/KO finish to become the undisputed middleweight champion of the world.

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Recently, the champion posted a video compiling his career highlight in the UFC over the years. “I had to remind myself. So hard being humble. Almost forgot who I am,” he captioned the video.

‘Stylebender’ has had some incredible fights in the UFC. Apart from his UFC 248 clash against Yoel Romero, every other contest has been a banger. An instant classic against Kelvin Gastelum saw him crowned the interim champion before demolishing Whittaker. A thorough beating of Paulo Costa marked his second title defense.

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Who can potentially be a problem for Israel Adesanya at middleweight?

‘Stylebender’ has breezed past every opponent he has taken on in the UFC except Jan Blachowica. But that UFC 259 loss came at the light-heavyweight division. Many believed Darren Till could be a problem for the champion due to his remarkable stand-up game. But Till’s UFC career hasn’t progressed as the Liverpool native would have liked.

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He has beaten almost every top contender in the middleweight division so far with ease. However, people expect Whittaker to give him a tough test when they eventually rematch.

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But, what got the UFC fans most intrigued is the addition of Alex Pereira to the roster. The former two-division Glory kickboxing champion is the only man to finish Adesanya in a fight. He holds 2 wins over the current UFC middleweight champion. Pereira is set to make his promotional debut at UFC 268. If he can climb up the ladder and set up a trilogy against ‘Stylebender‘, remains to be seen.

Also Read: “‘Nigerian Brotherhood’ Did Not Help Francis Ngannou” – Luke Rockhold Says Israel Adesanya and Kamaru Usman Left the UFC Champion Hanging Alone

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