Israel Adesanya will soon be entering waters that he hasn’t charted in quite a long while. Adesanya (24-4 MMA, 13-4 UFC) nicknamed “The Last Stylebender”, has not appeared in any card other than a flagship UFC pay-per-view event since the summer of 2018.
On July 6 of that year, during The Ultimate Fighter’s live finale from the Pearl Theatre in Las Vegas, his assignment was Brad Tavares (20-10 MMA, 15-10 UFC), winning by unanimous decision. That fight, much like nearly every contest that Israel Adesanya has had since, was the main event of the evening.