Many were still questioning just how far along in his career Israel Adesanya was when UFC officials offered him a fight with former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva.
Three rounds and 15 minutes later, and Adesanya had proven himself with a convincing decision over “The Spider” at UFC 234 in Melbourne, Australia.
Now, Adesanya returns to Australia as the interim UFC middleweight champion and will look to leave as the undisputed titleholder when he meets Robert Whittaker at UFC 243 this Saturday night. The event takes place from Marvel Stadium in Melbourne.
Related: Robert Whittaker And Israel Adesanya Will Indeed Throw Down From Inside A Massive Stadium
UFC 234: Israel Adesanya Vs. Anderson Silva
Adesanya signed with the UFC just over a year ago, but has already racked up six victories, including his April triumph over Kelvin Gastelum for the interim championship. He also holds wins over Silva, Derek Brunson, Brad Tavares, Marvin Vettori and Rob Wilkinson, making him a perfect – and undefeated – 17-0 in his career.
Of those 17 career wins, 13 have come via finish, including each of his first 12 bouts.
UFC 243 Fight Card
MAIN CARD (ESPN+ Pay-Per-View)
UFC Middleweight Championship
Robert Whittaker (c) vs. Israel Adesanya (ic)
Lightweight: Al Iaquinta vs. Dan Hooker
Heavyweight: Tai Tuivasa vs. Serghei Spivak
Welterweight: Luke Jumeau vs. Dhiego Lima
Female Bantamweight: Holly Holm vs. Raquel Pennington
PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN)
Welterweight: Jake Matthews vs. Rostem Akman
Heavyweight: Justin Tafa vs. Yorgan De Castro
Welterweight: Callan Potter vs. Maki Pitolo
Female Featherweight: Megan Anderson vs. Zarah Fairn dos Santos
PRELIMINARY CARD (UFC Fight Pass)
Lightweight: Jamie Mullarkey vs. Brad Riddell
Female Flyweight: Nadia Kassem vs. Ji Yeon Kim
Bantamweight: Khalid Taha vs. Bruno Silva
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