This Saturday, Israel Adesanya will fight for the fourth time under the UFC banner. And watching him develop on the big stage has been an absolute treat. Especially if you, like me, are particularly fond of skillful strikers. Still just 29 with over a decade of Muay Thai and kickboxing experience, Adesanya represents that rarest breed of MMA import: an elite, professional striker, still smack dab in the middle of his prime.
Thus far, the man they call the ‘Stylebender’ has notched quite an impressive record in the UFC. Wary of his nonexistent wrestling background, plenty of folks (like me) expected Adesanya to get out-grappled by Rob Wilkinson in his UFC debut.