Israel Adesanya was supposed to win at UFC 230. Even though he entered the match against Derek Brunson ranked ninth in the middleweight to Brunson’s sixth, he was a sizable favorite, made such by those in the know who have witnessed his singular brand of striking.
Adesanya goes by the apt nickname of “Stylebender,” an ode to his slick standup style, in which he seems to glide and dance around the cage while snapping off hands, elbow, knees and kick from unorthodox setups and angles.
We already knew he was good.