On April 8, 2023, Israel Adesanya spectacularly won back the UFC middleweight belt. Can he do it once again?
Facing his arch-rival Alex Pereira from Brazil, the Nigeria-born Adesanya scored a second-round knockout with his back against the fence. Pereira fell back violently against the canvas, and Adesanya landed a hammer fist before the referee stepped in to stop the fight. It was one of the most iconic knockouts in UFC history.
Adesanya lost his next fight in September 2023 to Sean Strickland and hasn’t fought since.
Strickland was unable to defend his title, losing in January 2024 to Dricus Du Plessis of South Africa.
Adesanya and Du Plessis will fight for the 185-pound belt at UFC 305 on August 17 in Perth, Australia.
Who Will Adesanya Fight Next?
Adesanya is a -125 moneyline betting favorite against Du Plessis at DraftKings Sportsbook, where he’s received 69% of the moneyline wagers. This will be the first UFC event between two African-born fighters.
Best Bet: Adesanya by decision (+225)
With a win over Du Plessis, Adesanya may get another try at the 205-pound title. He failed to win that belt in a 2021 loss to then-champion Jan Błachowicz of Poland. The current light heavyweight champion is Pereira.
The two fighters are 1-1 against each other in MMA, with Pereira having the 2-0 lead over Adesanya in kickboxing. Their UFC matchups have been mostly kickboxing, as they are among the best strikers in combat sports history.
Pereira said in the aftermath of his loss to Adesanya at UFC 287 that he would be moving up to the 205-pound light heavyweight division. He has difficulty cutting weight to 185 pounds, while Adesanya’s slightly smaller frame is well-suited for the weight class.
They have met four times now, with Pereira holding the 3-1 lead. It seems like a good bet that they will one day fight again, but there’s currently no timetable for it.
Israel Adesanya UFC Record
Adesanya is 13-3 in the UFC. He had 11 MMA wins before joining the UFC, so his overall MMA record is 24-3. Sixteen of his career wins came via knockout and eight by decision.
Adesanya has never had a submission win in his MMA career.
Adesanya is an incredible 75-5 in kickboxing, with 29 wins coming via knockout. Pereira knocked out Adesanya in kickboxing, with his other four losses coming via the judges.
