Some people anticipated Israel Adesanya’s UFC debut in a big way. Others weren’t sure who “The Last Style Bender” was. Even after UFC 221, the majority of MMA fans still don’t.
But that’s not to say fans shouldn’t keep their eyes out for Adesanya moving forward. The New Zealander fought in the Octagon for the first time this past Saturday in Perth, Australia. A large betting favorite heading in, Adesanya bested Rob Wilkinson on the UFC 221 preliminary card with an impressive second-round TKO.
Adesanya fought calm, cool, and collected. There was no sign of so-called Octagon jitters that cause many debutantes to under perform when they hit the big stage for the first time.