Israel Adesanya News
Weighing the options of Israel Adesanya after UFC 230
Tom Taylor - November 4, 2018
So many times before, we’ve seen massively hyped fighters stumble as the near the proverbial mountaintop. Surging UFC middleweight contender Israel Adesanya, however, could not have looked more surefooted in his massive UFC 230 showdown with missile-fisted wrestler Derek Brunson. Ahead of the fight, it was easy to imagine a world where Brunson repeatedly took Israel Adesanya down and mushed him through the chainlink so forcefully that the he oozed out the other side and onto the commentary booth in diamond-shaped chunks. But this isn’t the way it happened. Instead, Israel Adesanya shut down his foe’s takedown attempts, and forced a firefight on the feet, where he reduced Brunson to rubble with some of the slickest, most pinpoint striking we’ve seen in the Octagon.
Israel Adesanya says he nearly pulled out of UFC 230
Cole Shelton - November 4, 2018
On Saturday night, at UFC 230, Israel Adesanya had a coming out party of sorts. The rising star defeated Derek Brunson in the first round by TKO. Adesanya looked composed the entire fight, however, in the post-fight press conference, Israel Adesanya revealed his fight against Brunson almost didn’t happen. “I almost pulled out of this fight,” Adesanya said. “Like literally, three days, maybe two days away from pulling out of this fight. I was limping. You can ask Dan Hooker and people at my gym. I had the baddest — I’ll post the video so it makes sense. My knee was so inflamed.
Dana White praises Israel Adesanya after TKO of Derek Brunson: 'He's the whole package'
Tom Taylor - November 4, 2018
Last night, in the opening bout of the UFC 230 main card, red-hot UFC middleweight contender Israel Adesanya picked up the biggest win of his career, dissecting long-time contender Derek Brunson with some of the finest striking we’ve ever seen in the Octagon. With this win, just about everybody jumped aboard the Israel Adesanya hype train — and that includes UFC President Dana White. The boss showered the Nigerian New Zealander with praise shortly after the card wrapped up.
Pros react to Israel Adesanya's stoppage victory over Derek Brunson at UFC 230
Christopher Taylor - November 3, 2018
A middleweight bout between perennial division contenders Israel Adesanya and Derek Brunson took place at tonight’s UFC 230 event in New York City. Undefeated middleweight Israel Adesanya (14-0 MMA) returned to the octagon for the first time since scoring a unanimous decision victory over Brad Tavares in July.
Derek Brunson on Israel Adesanya "He ain't Jon Jones, not even close"
James Lynch - November 3, 2018
Israel Adesnaya looks build off his impressive win over Brad Tavares in July as he’s set to face Derek Brunson at UFC 230 tonight. Being a young, outspoken, undefeated middleweight, “The Last Stylebender” often finds himself compared to former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones. While many fans are quick to make these comparisons, Adesanya’s UFC 230 opponent isn’t one of them.
Derek Brunson on Israel Adesanya fight: 'Don’t be surprised if I knock him out in the first round'
Tom Taylor - November 1, 2018
At a glance, UFC 230’s Derek Brunson vs. Israel Adesanya bout looks like a two-outcome fight. The widespread thinking seems to be that Adesanya will win the fight with his superior striking, or that Brunson will win with his world-class wrestling. Based on the middleweights’ records and skillsets, you would not be faulted for thinking this way. The fighters, however, have other ideas.
Israel Adesanya predicts he might submit Derek Brunson at UFC 230
Tom Taylor - November 1, 2018
Photo by Mitch Viquez On Saturday night, the UFC will return to Madison Square Garden in New York City with UFC 230. One of the most interesting fights on the bill is a middleweight contender bout between pinpoint striker Israel Adesanya and ferocious wrestler Derek Brunson.
Israel Adesanya says next fight isn't about Derek Brunson, 'I’m the next cash cow'
Drake Riggs - August 23, 2018
There’s no denying that Israel Adesanya has star potential and he isn’t the only one that sees it. Only three fights into his UFC career and an impact has been made. The undefeated 14-0 Adesanya has blazed his way into the top 10 in no time. After two solid wins, the UFC awarded the high-level striker with the main event spot at The Ultimate Finale 27 in July.
Israel Adesanya on Derek Brunson: "The UFC made him call me out"
Tom Taylor - August 7, 2018
Red hot UFC middleweight contender Israel Adesanya will return to the Octagon at UFC 230, which goes down on November 3 in New York City. His opponent in this next fight will be established contender Derek Brunson, who called him out repeatedly before the fight was made official. While it was Brunson who called Adesanya out, Adesanya doesn’t believe Brunson actually wanted the fight. In fact, he claims the UFC made Brunson call him out.
Report | Derek Brunson vs Israel Adesanya close to finalization for UFC 230
Drake Riggs - July 30, 2018
UFC 230 is already setting up to be an unofficial middleweight tournament and the bracket only appears to be getting bigger. Already added to the November 3rd Madison Square Garden event is a trio of awesome 185-pound clashes. Most notably is the recent title challenger Yoel Romero taking on the red-hot rising contender, Paulo Costa.
Derek Brunson calls out "The Last Pretender" Israel Adesanya
Tom Taylor - July 25, 2018
Surging UFC middleweight contender Israel Adesanya has recently been angling for a fight with the former champion Anderson Silva. While Silva says he doesn’t know who Adesanya is, there’s another top middleweight who does: Derek Brunson. Derek Brunson recently took to Twitter to call for a fight with Israel Adesanya. He’s hoping to fight Adesanya at UFC 230 on November 3 in New York City — a card that will feature a trio of other, huge middleweight fights.
Anderson Silva responds to Israel Adesanya's callout — and Adesanya might not like his answer
Tom Taylor - July 24, 2018
Last week, surging UFC middleweight contender Israel Adesanya called for a showdown with former champion and MMA legend Anderson Silva, who was recently vindicated after an unfortunate USADA situation. Adesanya made his callout of the legendary Anderson Silva on his official Instagram account.
Israel Adesanya says Paulo Costa probably isn't next, but expects to fight him multiple times
Tom Taylor - July 11, 2018
Israel Adesanya, who thumped Brad Tavares in the TUF 27 Finale main event, and Paulo Costa, who smoked Uriah Hall on the UFC 226 undercard, are two of the fastest rising stars in the UFC middleweight division. In fact, they’re two of the fastest rising stars in any UFC division. Given that they both picked up decisive wins over established UFC middleweights last weekend, many fans and pundits began calling for a matchup between them. Apparently, however, any potential fight between the pair is likely to occur later on.
TUF 27 Finale Results | Israel Adesanya defeats Brad Tavares (Highlights)
Chris Taylor - July 6, 2018
A middleweight bout featuring streaking division contenders Brad Tavares and Israel Adesanya headlined tonight’s TUF 27 Finale event in Las Vegas. Adesanya entered the contest sporting a perfect 13-0 record while the Hawaiian, Tavares, came in at 17-5 overall.
Israel Adesanya says he'd love to fight Darren Till in the future
Tom Taylor - July 4, 2018
UFC middleweight prospect Israel Adesanya and welterweight contender Darren Till are two of the fastest rising stars in the UFC today. And while they currently operate in different weight classes, Adesanya expects that to change in the future. Speaking to MMA Fighting‘s Peter Carroll, Adesanya shared his belief that Till’s struggles with the scale, which recently manifested themselves when he missed weight for a welterweight fight with Stephen Thompson, will eventually force him up to the middleweight division.
Israel Adesanya goes off on Yoel Romero for "almost cheating"
Tom Taylor - July 4, 2018
Yoel Romero has dazzled fans in his first two bouts of 2018, first clubbing former champ Luke Rockhold into unconsciousness in February, then engaging current champ Robert Whittaker in one of the year’s best fights in June. Unfortunately, both of Romero’s 2018 bouts have been served with a side of controversy, as he failed to make weight on both occasions. It’s for this reason that surging middleweight contender Israel Adesanya has found it hard to root for him. In Adesanya’s eyes, Romero’s repeated failure to make weight is encroaching on cheating.
BREAKING | Brad Tavares out of fight with Israel Adesanya, replacement in mind
Drake Riggs - June 7, 2018
“You know this kid Israel [Adesanya]? He’s actually the main event on The Ultimate Fighter [27] finale.” Dana White told TMZ, “And Brad Tavares, I don’t think anybody knows this yet, but Brad Tavares just this morning broke his foot. He’s out of that fight right now with Israel. So we’re looking to put somebody new in with this kid. I’m excited about him.
Israel Adesanya already has another opponent in mind if he beats Brad Tavares
Tom Taylor - May 16, 2018
Having won his first two UFC bouts, kickboxing export Israel Adesanya has been rewarded with a main event battle with well-established middleweight veteran Brad Tavares. The pair’s bout headlines The Ultimate Fighter 27 Finale on July 6. Interestingly, this bout with Tavares is one that Adesanya asked for. And if he gets past the Hawaiian star, he plans on asking for another specific matchup: a fight with the winner of Uriah Hall and Paulo Costa’s fight, which goes down July 7 at UFC 226.