Israel “The Last Stylebender” Adesanya (18-0) had one of the fastest climbs to the middleweight gold. In less than 2 years since his UFC debut, Adesanya conquered the middleweight division by defeating Robert Whittaker at UFC 243 in the second round.

Adesanya has one of the best takedown defenses in the game. He stopped 85% of the takedowns attempted by his opponents. He is known for constantly improving his skills. Adesanya’s ground game has improved significantly throughout the years. This was evident in the Kelvin Gastelum fight where he caught Kelvin in a triangle choke.

With a history in kickboxing, the middleweight king is known for his elite striking. Possessing a high fight IQ, it does not take long for the champion to read his opponents and time some of the best knockouts ever. During his ascent to the top, Adesanya has added some spectacular victories to his résumé. 14 of his 18 victories came via KO/TKO. Many of them in the early rounds.

Israel Adesanya puts Stuart Dare to sleep

Before his UFC debut, Adesanya knocked out Stuart Dare with a question mark kick at Hex Fight Series #12 in the very first round. Adesanya was 10-0 coming into the fight. After having Dare backed up to the cage, he cuts him with a sharp elbow. A brief moment of separation allows Adesanya to land a swift head kick which ends the fight in the final seconds of the first round.

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This victory made Israel Adesanya the middleweight champion of Hex Fight Series.

After Paulo Costa got injured, Yoel “The Soldier of God” Romero stepped in as a replacement for the Brazilian. Romero is set to face the champion at UFC 248 in March. The Soldier of God is known for his wrestling and will be the toughest fight of Adesanya’s career.

Despite being 42 years old, Romero is a  problem for anyone in the division. The power in his hands and his elite wrestling is a major threat to the champion’s reign. The challenger is also known for his durability. He has proved that he can take a tremendous amount of punishment without showing much of the effects.

Do you think Israel Adesanya will be able to stop Yoel Romero?

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