Middleweight · Champion

Israel Adesanya

The Last Stylebender

24-6

Age
37
Height
6'4"
Reach
6'8"
Stance
Switch
Camp
Out of
Nigeria
Style
striker
Fight IQ
C+ · 67
Finish rate
0%
Win rate
80%

Career methods

KO/TKO
8
Sub
0
Dec
16

FightMetric

SLpM

4.03

SApM

3.60

Str Acc

52%

Str Def

43%

TD Avg

0.05

TD Acc

9%

TD Def

100%

Sub Avg

0.14

Tape read

Pocket striker — porous pocket

Fight IQ

67C+

Built from FightMetric rates, method shares, and 7 loaded UFC rows. Timing and agility are tape proxies, not lab measurements.

IQ

C+

Ground

D

Defense

D

Counter

D

Reaction

proxy

D

Agility

proxy

D

TD react

B

Chin

B+

What they do well

  • Durability

    Gets through fire. Rarely finished by strikes; the later minutes are still theirs to win.

  • Takedown reaction

    Can stuff the first shot. Chain wrestling and the second entry are the real test.

Where they leak

  • Ground game

    Thin offensive ground game. Wins come standing; once taken down this fighter is hunting a stand-up, not a sweep chain.

  • Counter punching

    Limited counter threat. Opponents can miss without paying a finishing tax.

  • Striking defense

    Defensive liability. Opponents land at a clip that turns every exchange into a finish window.

Scouting report

Israel Adesanya “The Last Stylebender” is a 37-year-old Switch middleweight out of Nigeria. The tape read: pocket striker — porous pocket. Career mark 24-6-0 — 8 by KO/TKO, 0 by submission, 16 by decision. Fight IQ grades C+ (67).

What works. Durability is the standout at 80 (B+). Gets through fire. Rarely finished by strikes; the later minutes are still theirs to win. Ground game D on 0.05 TD/15 and 0.14 sub attempts. Striking defense D at 43% / 3.60 SApM. Counter punching D; punching agility D (output × accuracy × age curve). Takedown reaction B on 100% TD defense. These are tape proxies — not lab reaction times — built from FightMetric rates, finish shares, and 7 loaded UFC rows.

Where it breaks. Ground game is the soft spot (14, D). Thin offensive ground game. Wins come standing; once taken down this fighter is hunting a stand-up, not a sweep chain. Opponents who force wrestling and keep the fight on the fence have historically been the ones who make this résumé leak. Losses lean decision more often than a highlight — the issue is usually control of minutes, not a glass jaw.

Recent tape (7 bouts): L 4684135 (KO/TKO R2) · L 4690539 (KO/TKO R2) · L 3166126 (Submission R4) · L 3093653 (Decision - Unanimous R5) · W 4705658 (KO/TKO R2). Form index negative over the last 5. 1 of those wins reached the championship minutes — cardio and late IQ are real.

Ground game

14 D

Thin offensive ground game. Wins come standing; once taken down this fighter is hunting a stand-up, not a sweep chain.

  • 0.05 takedowns / 15 at 9% accuracy
  • 0.14 submission attempts / 15 · 0 career sub wins

Striking defense

44 D

Defensive liability. Opponents land at a clip that turns every exchange into a finish window.

  • 43% striking defense · 3.60 SApM
  • 0 KO/TKO losses in 6 defeats

Counter punching

42 D

Limited counter threat. Opponents can miss without paying a finishing tax.

  • 52% accuracy on 4.03 SLpM
  • 0.00 knockdowns / 15 · 8 KO/TKO wins

Timing & reaction

44 D

Late on the read. High absorb or a leaking TD defense suggests the first move often belongs to the opponent.

  • Str def 43% · TD def 100% — the two read-and-react rates
  • 3.60 shots absorbed / min (lower = sees it earlier)

Punching agility

46 D

Heavy or economical. Combinations are chosen, not sprayed — opponents can time the entries.

  • 4.03 SLpM at 52% — output with cleanliness
  • Throws without paying full retail: 3.60 SApM

Takedown reaction

74 B

Can stuff the first shot. Chain wrestling and the second entry are the real test.

  • 100% takedown defense — the live reaction to level changes
  • 1 submission losses (once the fight hits the mat)

Durability

80 B+

Gets through fire. Rarely finished by strikes; the later minutes are still theirs to win.

  • 0 times finished by strikes in 6 losses
  • 16 decision wins — proof they last and still score

Fight history

DateOpponentResMethodRndSig
Mar 29, 2026Fighter 4684135LKO/TKO2 4:1842/75
Feb 1, 2025Fighter 4690539LKO/TKO2 0:3026/50
Aug 18, 2024Fighter 3166126LSubmission4 3:3897/203
Sep 10, 2023Fighter 3093653LDecision - Unanimous5 5:0094/271
Apr 9, 2023Fighter 4705658WKO/TKO2 4:2141/96
Nov 13, 2022Fighter 4705658LKO/TKO5 2:0186/162
Jul 3, 2022Jared CannonierWDecision - Unanimous5 5:00116/230