World-class physical tools and magnetic charisma melded together with focused ambition to create the Sherdog.com 2019 “Fight of the Year.”
Israel Adesanya—who beat out Jorge Masvidal, Henry Cejudo, Patricio Freire, Kamaru Usman and Alexander Volkanovski for FOTY honors—was not even on the mainstream radar when he entered the Ultimate Fighting Championship as an undefeated but unproven prospect a little less than two years ago. In the 22 months that have elapsed since, the City Kickboxing star has rattled off seven consecutive victories, pushed his overall record to 18-0 and captured the undisputed UFC middleweight championship.