Conor McGregor debuted in the UFC in April of 2013 and fought for the interim featherweight title 25 months later. Given that he recovered from a torn ACL during that stretch, his rise from prospect to champion was alarmingly quick. And yet compared to Israel Adesanya — who fights Kelvin Gastelum for the interim welterweight title on Saturday night at UFC 236 in Atlanta — it was a long, drawn out affair.
Adesanya debuted just last year at UFC 221. He won a fairly impressive TKO victory over Rob Wilkinson and — because he wasn’t enamored with his own performance — he literally hiked a leg at his effort.