Heavy stakes are on the line this Saturday at UFC 236 in the fight pitting Israel “Izzy” Adesanya against Kelvin Gastelum for the interim middleweight title. The UFC’s international expansion will grow exponentially quicker with Adesanya as its new face of fighting, which makes the implications of this outcome enormous.
Adesanya is overflowing with the intangible “It Factor,” not unlike what fight fans saw in a rising Conor McGregor. Adesanya talks the talk, looks the part, and is the total package in terms of marketability. If he comes out victorious, he will instantly become one of the featured faces of the UFC.