There’s no exact science to star building in combat sports. Some great, fun athletes just don’t seem to click. Some become overnight sensations. There’s lots of work that promoters, PR reps, and well placed media appearances can do to help the whole process along, but often an athlete either has ‘it’ or they don’t.
By all appearances, Israel Adesanya has it.
The kickboxer-turned-mixed-martial-artist has taken the UFC by storm over the past year-and-a-half, running out an 18-0 unbeaten record in MMA, and seven straight wins to start his Octagon career. All of which culminated in his unifying the middleweight title with a victory over Robert Whittaker in Melbourne, Australia.