5 moments that should define Israel Adesanya’s storied legacy in the UFC

Unfortunately for fighters, fans are quick to forget their glory days when they’re going through a rough patch in their career.

This past Saturday, former middleweight champion Israel Adesanya suffered his fourth loss in a row when he was finished by Joe Pyfer in the UFC Seattle main event.

Despite what was another extremely crushing loss, ‘The Last Stylebender’ was adamant following the fight that he won’t be retiring any time soon.

Unfortunately, though, the 36-year-old risks tarnishing what is an incredible legacy in the sport, as the new age of fans are unforgiving when it comes to losing streaks in the UFC.

Adesanya’s legacy is one that should not be forgotten by the majority, though, and here are just five moments that he will be remembered forever for.

5. His UFC debut win against Rob Wilkinson

When he emerged in the premier MMA promotion in 2018, some fans were already familiar with the eccentric striker from his storied career in kickboxing.

After winning 10 MMA fights in a row, he was finally signed to the UFC and made his debut at UFC 221 in Perth, Western Australia.

Against Wilkinson, who went on to become one of the best light heavyweight fighters in the world, winning $1 million during a PFL tournament, Adesanya put on a masterclass.

At that point, there weren’t really any masterful kickboxers at the top of the UFC food chain, as Anderson Silva had already begun his career regression.

Although Izzy was unable to score the finish, he utterly schooled Wilkinson for three rounds, immediately drumming up excitement for what his UFC career would hold.

With his in cage interview, it became clear that the promotion had a new star on their hands.

4. The passing of the guard when he fought Silva

Adesanya made it no secret when he was coming up in the UFC that his idol was the aforementioned Silva.

And so when he was booked to fight the Brazilian legend in his fifth UFC fight, it seemed like a huge moment that would always be remembered in his career, no matter what.

At that point, it was almost inevitable that ‘The Last Stylebender’ would go on to claim UFC gold in at least one weight class, and so it was the perfect fight for him to grow into an even bigger star.

Despite the fight having not lived up to a lot of fans’ expectations, it included several things that I would call ‘plot convenience’, moving his story on perfectly.

In fact, Adesanya summed it up flawlessly in the lead up to his UFC Seattle fight, mentioning how fans shouldn’t forget Silva’s final run in the sport, and instead, should remember the incredible moments he provided.

Now, the same should be said about him.