The rise and rise of Israel Adesanya
The remarkable rise of Israel Adesanya has continued with the undefeated Kiwi booked to fight for the interim middleweight title at UFC 236.
Adesanya’s coach Eugene Bareman has confirmed that ‘The Last Stylebender’ will meet American Kelvin Gastelum (15-3) at a yet-to-be determined venue on April 14 after UFC president Dana White broke the news on ESPN.
The 29-year-old Nigerian-born striker (16-0) earned the right to fight for the belt with his victory over legend Anderson Silva in Melbourne earlier this month, his fifth straight win since joining the UFC 12 months ago.
It puts him on the same trajectory as MMA superstar Conor Mcgregor, who won the interim featherweight championship in his sixth appearance in the octagon.
‘‘We’re getting to the goal we set very early on when Israel first came into the gym. We’re on the cusp of it,’’ Bareman, whose Auckland-based gym City Kickboxing is at the forefront of New Zealand’s latest combat sports movement, told Stuff. ‘‘It’s just an amazing process that I’ve been lucky enough to be a part of.
‘‘There’s a realisation that it hasn’t really been that short a time outside the UFC because that’s all been a part of the journey, so it’s been a long time coming. But in the UFC, I have found myself thinking that we’re doing something that is going to be hard for people to emulate.’’
The news brings some clarity to the middleweight division after champion Robert Whittaker was forced to pull out of his title defence against Gastelum in Melbourne due to an abdominal hernia and collapsed bowel.
Adesanya was initially meant to fight the winner of that bout. But with Whittaker unlikely to return until June at the earliest, an interim bout with Gastelum was always a possibility and Bareman and Adesanya’s management team began negotiations with the UFC just days following the win over Silva.
Discussions centred around the timeline and at first it was hoped Adesanya would have more time to recharge mentally after such a busy year.
But wary of spending too long on the sidelines had the UFC opted to reschedule Whittakergastelum, Bareman has found a way to ensure Adesanya will be in peak condition.