Israel Adesanya stands head and shoulders above Anderson Silva and Conor McGregor in this statistic
Israel Adesanya took the least amount of time to register 10 knockdowns in UFC history.
While his last few outings may not have been his finest, there's no way of denying the incredible striking that Adesanya possesses. 'The Last Stylebender' has been able to tear a hole through the middleweight division. As we look ahead to the future, it wouldn't be at all surprising to see him do something similar at light heavyweight.
His journey with the promotion began with a mixture of decision victories and impressive finishes. As it turns out, within just seven fights, Adesanya managed to secure 10 knockdowns - which is better than both Conor McGregor and Anderson Silva who did it in 10 fights.
Credit: MMA By The Numbers
34 fighters in UFC history have landed 10+ knockdowns.
Fewest fights needed to reach 10 knockdowns:
Israel Adesnaya (7)
Josh Emmett (9)
Petr Yan (9)
Conor McGregor (10)
Anderson Silva (10)
Cody Garbrandt (10)
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The list is rounded off by Cody Garbrandt (also 10), as well as impressive spots for Josh Emmett and Petr Yan at nine.
The next step for Israel Adesanya
As we've already noted, Israel Adesanya - somewhat controversially in the eyes of some - retained his 185-pound strap by defeating rival Robert Whittaker. While 'Bobby Knuckles' needs to go back to the drawing board and potentially go after someone like Marvin Vettori or even Paulo Costa, the direction of travel for Adesanya seems a whole lot clearer.
The expectation is that he will defend the belt against Jared Cannonier next. If he wins, there's every chance he will look at the state of the division and believe he's completely cleaned it out. However, it's equally as likely that he'll stay to try and chase down the current middleweight GOAT Anderson Silva.
Adesanya tends to stay as busy as he possibly can and reports are suggesting he wants to return to the octagon as quickly as June. With that date in mind, it's entirely plausible that he'll fight three or maybe even four times this year. It's also believable to assume he'll have another crack at 205 pounds.