Israel Adesanya shares four-word reaction as he looks back on his impressive four-year run as UFC champion
Israel Adesanya had a witty response to being praised for his legendary UFC title run.
In February 2018, Adesanya fought under the ONE banner for the first time with a professional MMA record of 11-0. The kickboxer-turned-MMA fighter quickly put the division on notice by winning five consecutive fights, including a unanimous decision win against Anderson Silva.
Adesanya’s sixth UFC fight was a legendary interim middleweight title bout against Kelvin Gastelum in April 2019, which the former won by unanimous decision. The gutsy performance started the City Kickboxing affiliate’s championship tenure, lasting three years and five middleweight title defenses.
Between late 2022 and early 2023, Adesanya endured a two-fight series against longtime rival Alex Pereira, with the latter winning the first and getting knocked out in the immediate rematch. In September 2023, ‘The Last Stylebender’ suffered a unanimous decision loss against Sean Strickland, officially ending his run as the middleweight king.
The UFC 185-pound division has temporarily moved on without Adesanya, but his run from 2019-2023 will never be forgotten. Earlier this week, ESPN MMA shared a tribute for ‘The Last Stylebender’ on Instagram by sharing this message with a photo of him holding two UFC titles:
“Israel Adesanya from 2019-2023:🏆 11 title fights🏆 10 PPV headliners🏆 8 title fight wins🏆 5 title defenses🏆 2x middleweight champ One of the greatest four-year runs in UFC history 🔥”
Adesanya responded in the comment section by saying:
“Made it look Izzy‼️😊”
What’s next for Israel Adesanya?
On Jan. 20, Sean Strickland failed to defend the UFC middleweight title for the first time, as Dricus du Plessis dethroned him by split decision. The judges' decision was disputed by the MMA community, making it unclear who’s next for Du Plessis’ first title defense.
Israel Adesanya and Du Plessis have an intense rivalry dating back to mid-2023. As a result, rumors have spread about ‘Stillknocks’ potentially wanting to defend his middleweight throne against Adesanya on April 13 in the highly-anticipated UFC 300 main event.
With that said, the UFC could go in another direction for Du Plessis’ next fight, as Khamzat Chimaev and Sean Strickland hope to challenge the South African king. Nonetheless, Adesanya is expected to return to the Octagon in 2024, with a world title potentially on the line.