Title fight at UFC 276
Adesanya beat Jared Cannonier in a title fight at UFC 276 on Jul 2, 2022.
MMAUFCMiddleweightSwitch
Israel Adesanya
Age, record and fight historyIsrael Adesanya is a UFC middleweight who beat Alex Pereira in a title fight at UFC 287 on Apr 8, 2023.
30 pro fights19 UFC fights12 title fights
Updated
About Israel Adesanya
Born on July 22, 1989, in Lagos, Nigeria, Israel Adesanya fights out of Auckland, New Zealand, and has fought at Middleweight in the UFC since 2018. His professional career began in 2010, and he fought at Light Heavyweight in the UFC in 2021. Adesanya fights from the switch stance and holds a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Andre Galvao.
Agatha Research DeskUpdated Oct 27, 2026Fight history19
Every UFC fight in our records, newest first. A gold mark is a title fight.
| Date | Event | Opponent | Result | Method | Rd | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 28, 2026 | UFC Fight Night: Adesanya vs. Pyfer | Joe Pyfer | L | KO/TKO | 2 | 4:18 |
| Feb 1, 2025 | UFC Fight Night: Adesanya vs. Imavov | Nassourdine Imavov | L | KO/TKO | 2 | 0:30 |
| Aug 17, 2024 | UFC 305: Du Plessis vs. Adesanya | Dricus Du Plessis | L | Submission | 4 | 3:38 |
| Sep 9, 2023 | UFC 293: Adesanya vs. Strickland | Sean Strickland | L | Decision (unanimous) | 5 | 5:00 |
| Apr 8, 2023 | UFC 287: Pereira vs. Adesanya 2 | Alex Pereira | W | KO/TKO | 2 | 4:21 |
| Nov 12, 2022 | UFC 281: Adesanya vs. Pereira | Alex Pereira | L | KO/TKO | 5 | 2:01 |
| Jul 2, 2022 | UFC 276: Adesanya vs. Cannonier | Jared Cannonier | W | Decision (unanimous) | 5 | 5:00 |
| Feb 12, 2022 | UFC 271: Adesanya vs. Whittaker 2 | Robert Whittaker | W | Decision (unanimous) | 5 | 5:00 |
| Jun 12, 2021 | UFC 263: Adesanya vs. Vettori 2 | Marvin Vettori | W | Decision (unanimous) | 5 | 5:00 |
| Mar 6, 2021 | UFC 259: Blachowicz vs. Adesanya | Jan Blachowicz | L | Decision (unanimous) | 5 | 5:00 |
| Sep 26, 2020 | UFC 253: Adesanya vs. Costa | Paulo Costa | W | KO/TKO | 2 | 3:59 |
| Mar 7, 2020 | UFC 248: Adesanya vs. Romero | Yoel Romero | W | Decision (unanimous) | 5 | 5:00 |
Show 7 more
| Oct 5, 2019 | UFC 243: Whittaker vs. Adesanya | Robert Whittaker | W | KO/TKO | 2 | 3:33 |
| Apr 13, 2019 | UFC 236: Holloway vs. Poirier 2 | Kelvin Gastelum | W | Decision (unanimous) | 5 | 5:00 |
| Feb 9, 2019 | UFC 234: Adesanya vs. Silva | Anderson Silva | W | Decision (unanimous) | 3 | 5:00 |
| Nov 3, 2018 | UFC 230: Cormier vs. Lewis | Derek Brunson | W | KO/TKO | 1 | 4:51 |
| Jul 6, 2018 | The Ultimate Fighter: Undefeated Finale | Brad Tavares | W | Decision (unanimous) | 5 | 5:00 |
| Apr 14, 2018 | UFC Fight Night: Poirier vs. Gaethje | Marvin Vettori | W | Decision (split) | 3 | 5:00 |
| Feb 10, 2018 | UFC 221: Romero vs. Rockhold | Rob Wilkinson | W | KO/TKO | 2 | 3:37 |
How he is doing now
UFC record13-619 fights since 2018
Since moving up0-1at light heavyweight, since 2021
Last fightMar 28lost to Joe Pyfer
Last 51-4LLLLWNewest first. Four losses in a row.
Did you know?!
A loss to Du Plessis
Adesanya lost to Dricus Du Plessis in a title fight at UFC 305 on Aug 17, 2024.
Finish in first UFC fight
In his first UFC fight, Adesanya beat Rob Wilkinson by KO/TKO in round 2 at 3:37 at UFC 221 on Feb 10, 2018.
Career
16years2010 to 2026
- 2018UFC debutBeat Rob Wilkinson
- Jun 2021ChampionBeat Marvin Vettori
- Nov 2022Lost the beltAlex Pereira
- Apr 2023Champion againBeat Alex Pereira
- 2021Light HeavyweightMoved up a division
- Mar 28, 2026Latest fightLost to Joe Pyfer
Title fights
- Aug 17, 2024: lost vs Dricus Du PlessisUFC 305: Du Plessis vs. Adesanya
- Sep 9, 2023: lost vs Sean StricklandUFC 293: Adesanya vs. Strickland
- Apr 8, 2023: won vs Alex PereiraUFC 287: Pereira vs. Adesanya 2
- Nov 12, 2022: lost vs Alex PereiraUFC 281: Adesanya vs. Pereira
- Jul 2, 2022: won vs Jared CannonierUFC 276: Adesanya vs. Cannonier
- Feb 12, 2022: won vs Robert WhittakerUFC 271: Adesanya vs. Whittaker 2
How his UFC fights ended
13 wins
KO/TKO 5Decision 8
6 losses
KO/TKO 3Submission 1Decision 2
Divisions
- Light Heavyweight: 0-12021, 1 UFC fight
- Middleweight: 13-52018 to 2026, 18 UFC fights
First UFC fight
Feb 10, 2018: beat Rob Wilkinson by KO/TKOUFC 221: Romero vs. Rockhold, round 2, 3:37
Latest fight
Mar 28, 2026: lost to Joe Pyfer by KO/TKOFight Night: Adesanya vs. Pyfer, round 2, 4:18
Most often against
The fighters he has met more than once in the UFC, with the result of each run.
Alex Pereira2 fights, 2 for a title
1-1Level
Nov 12, 2022 to Apr 8, 2023
Marvin Vettori2 fights, 1 for a title
2-0Adesanya leads
Apr 14, 2018 to Jun 12, 2021
Robert Whittaker2 fights, 2 for a title
2-0Adesanya leads
Oct 5, 2019 to Feb 12, 2022
He has met 13 other UFC opponents once each.
Sources and updates
Fights, records and schedules come from Agatha's own records: ESPN's fighter records and results, and the UFC fight history in our data.
The professional record counts the UFC fight history in our data and ESPN's results after it: ESPN's own record has not caught up with them yet.
Updated Oct 27, 2026, 11:48 AM ET. Results and form refresh after every fight; biography facts are checked weekly.