Israel Adesanya next fight: ‘Last Stylebender’ Returns To Headline UFC’s Return To The Kingdom

After facing the cream of the crop over the last few years, the former 185-pound champ will make his long-awaited return in a high-risk, low-reward clash this February.

Fall Of A Legend? Adesanya rose to the top of the division like a phoenix in the final days of the 2010s. And he held on to the top spot for much of this decade. However, age has caught up to the UFC legend in recent years and he’s lost three of his last four. At 35 there is reason to believe the New Zealander is in a steep decline and is a shaky favorite at best in this fight.

Huge Step Up: Imavov is one of the division’s fastest-rising fighters and has been on a major hot streak recently. However, for all his good wins his fight in February will be a massive step up. He isn’t a dominant wrestler. So if he can’t get takedowns he could be in trouble on the feet against Adesanya.

The Bottom Line: This is a big fight for Adesanya. If he hopes to fight for gold again and wants to be considered amongst the best fighters in the world, he needs to get a win in Riyadh on Feb. 1.

What makes Israel Adesanya so popular?

Adesanya truly is a one-of-a-kind combat athlete. He is akin to Muhammad Ali and Roy Jones, Jr. in mixing world-class physical gifts with it-factor charisma. The native of New Zealand is a perfect representation of the era he dominated in and will surely go down as many Gen Z fans’ favorite UFC fighter.

The Avatar of the UFC: Adesanya is a top three pound-for-pound talent because he can beautifully blend both the physical and mental sides of fighting into one dynamic combat package.

• Israel Adesanya Record: 24-4 (16 knockouts)
• Adesanya has never lost at middleweight. During his six-year run in the UFC, he’s beaten elite fighters like Derek Brunson, Paulo Costa, Marvin Vettori (twice), Robert Whittaker (twice), Alex Pereira, and Yoel Romero.
• In a clash of generations, Adesanya fought his idol, and the man considered the greatest MMA middleweight of all time, Anderson Silva, in 2018. Although the then-43-year-old Silva showed the heart of a lion, his younger counterpart was the better man and won by unanimous decision.
• Before he jumped to MMA, Adesanya was a world-class kickboxer. Amassing a 75-5 record with 48 KOs.

The Stylish Bender: The New Zealand resident has become a sports superstar by unabashedly being himself. A confident, cocky, funny, and creative man that connects with the 18 to 35 age demographic that all sports properties and advertisers want.

• Adesanya has over nine million followers on his various social media accounts, including six million on Instagram.
• The champ also runs popular OnlyFans and YouTube pages. His YouTube channel has millions of subscribers, which helps him earn a solid income from his videos.
• Adesanya made headlines in 2021 when he took part in the “Black Lives Matter” protests in New Zealand. At the protest, he gave a passionate speech and used his fame to help push the popular social movement.

Israel Adesanya’s net worth

Money is often one of the greatest measuring sticks for a fighter’s success. As of 2021, Adesanya’s net worth is estimated to be $4 million.