Israel Adesanya

Adesanya headlined in Seattle but could not hold off Pyfer's physical pressure late in round two.

Key moments

• Main event loss in Seattle.
• Stopped by punches at 4:18 of round two.
• Fourth loss in his last five fights.
• Pyfer's pressure and finishing burst changed the fight late.

Adesanya fought for the middleweight title again in Perth but du Plessis dragged him into a more chaotic fight and found the submission in round four.

Key moments

• Challenged for the UFC Middleweight Championship.
• Submitted by face crank at 3:38 of round four.
• du Plessis denied the former champion a fast return to the belt.

Adesanya entered as the champion and left after one of the bigger title-fight upsets of the division. Strickland's jab, pace and defensive composure muted Adesanya's offense over five rounds and produced a clear unanimous decision.

Key moments

• Lost the UFC Middleweight Championship.
• Strickland's jab controlled long stretches of the fight.
• Adesanya never found the usual flow at range.
• A decisive five-round upset in Sydney.

After Pereira looked dangerous early in round two, Adesanya slipped into the pocket and detonated the counter sequence that ended the rivalry's MMA chapter with a violent reversal.

Key moments

• Won back the UFC Middleweight Championship.
• Knockout at 4:21 of round two.
• Reversed the fight just as Pereira seemed to be taking over.

The Cannonier defense was less dramatic than some of Adesanya's earlier title nights, but it was still a clear example of how hard he was to solve once he settled into a range fight.

Key moments

• Defended the UFC Middleweight Championship for another full five-round main event.
• Controlled range and tempo well enough to keep Cannonier from building consistent offense.
• Won a unanimous decision by scores of 49-46, 49-46 and 50-45.

Whittaker pushed Adesanya harder in the rematch than he had in their first meeting, but Adesanya still retained the belt by controlling the sharper moments and forcing Whittaker to chase him into counters. It was a more tactical, competitive title fight than the 2019 knockout, yet Adesanya still left with a deserved decision and another defense over the division's other elite standard-bearer.

Key moments

• Beat Whittaker for the second time in a middleweight title fight.
• Handled a much more measured challenger and still produced the cleaner scoring moments.
• Retained the belt by unanimous decision with scores of 48-47, 48-47 and 49-46.

Adesanya's move up for a second belt fell short because Blachowicz's size, patience and late grappling control changed the shape of the fight.

Key moments

• Challenged for the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship in an attempt to become a two-division champion.
• Blachowicz's top control in the late rounds separated the fight after the striking stayed competitive early.
• Lost a unanimous decision by scores of 49-46, 49-45 and 49-45.

Adesanya still did enough to win by picking the safer moments, managing distance and avoiding the kind of explosive counters that made Romero so dangerous, but the fight was remembered more for tension than action.

Key moments

• Retained the UFC Middleweight Championship in a low-output, tactical five-round fight.
• Stayed disciplined rather than opening up recklessly against Romero's counter threat.
• Won a unanimous decision with scores of 48-47, 48-47 and 49-46.

Whittaker came forward aggressively, but Adesanya's timing and counters kept punishing him until the breakthrough came at the end of round one and then decisively in round two.

Key moments

• Unified the middleweight title and became undisputed champion in front of a stadium crowd in Australia.
• Dropped Whittaker near the end of the first round and built directly toward the finish.
• Knocked Whittaker out with punches at 3:33 of round two.

The Silva fight paired Adesanya with the middleweight legend he had long admired, and it turned into a measured but memorable passing-of-the-torch performance.

Key moments

• Beat one of the greatest middleweights in UFC history in the new main event after Robert Whittaker was forced off the card.
• Handled Silva's tricky rhythm and counters while landing the sharper offense over three rounds.
• Won a unanimous decision on scores of 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28 and shared Fight of the Night honors.

Adesanya announced himself as a serious middleweight contender by dismantling Brunson in hostile exchanges and forcing a first-round stoppage. Brunson tried to pressure him into chaos, but Adesanya's accuracy, balance and timing repeatedly punished those entries until the finish arrived late in the opening round.

Key moments

• Stopped a top-10 middleweight who had been viewed as Adesanya's toughest UFC test to that point.
• Punished Brunson's rushing attacks with counters before overwhelming him along the fence.
• Finished the fight by TKO at 4:51 of round one and earned a Performance of the Night bonus.

Adesanya's first UFC main event was a breakout performance because he outclassed veteran contender Brad Tavares over five rounds without fading. He controlled range, piled up damage with kicks and clean counters, and turned what was supposed to be a measuring-stick matchup into a one-sided statement win.

Key moments

• Headlined a UFC card for the first time and stayed sharp for the full 25 minutes.
• Broke down Tavares with sustained long-range striking and clear control of the pace.
• Won a lopsided unanimous decision by scores of 49-46, 50-45 and 50-45.

Adesanya's first meeting with Vettori was much tighter than their later title rematch, but he still edged the fight by producing the cleaner striking over three rounds. Vettori's pressure kept the bout competitive, yet Adesanya's control of range and sharper offense were enough to earn the split decision and move to 2-0 in the UFC.

Key moments

• Won a competitive three-round bout that started a rivalry he would revisit twice at middleweight.
• Answered Vettori's pressure with the cleaner long-range striking for much of the fight.
• Took a split decision on scores of 29-28, 28-29 and 29-28.

After staying patient through the opening round, he opened up in the second, hurt Wilkinson repeatedly, and forced the stoppage to announce himself to the division.

Key moments

• Made his UFC debut in Perth and immediately showed why expectations around him were so high.
• Turned the fight in round two by piling up clean counters and finishing pressure.
• Stopped Wilkinson by TKO at 3:37 of the second round.