Adesanya title fight more slow road than fast track
Forget the narrative that Israel Adesanya has been rushed through the UFC rankings. His shot at a mixed martial arts world title has been a long time in the making.
Before making his debut with the world’s premier MMA company, the Kiwi middleweight paid his dues taking professional MMA and kickboxing fights across the globe since 2011. Before cracking the UFC, Adesanya had built quite the resume, with a 22-5 kickboxing record and an 11-0 MMA record — with all 11 wins by knockout.
Extending his MMA record to 16-0 since joining the UFC a year ago, other fighters and fans alike have been quick to say the company put him on the fast track despite picking up wins over Derek Brunson and Brad Tavares, both ranked in the division’s top 10 at the time of their fights.
It’s a different story for American Kelvin Gastelum, who has had 19 professional MMA bouts — 11 of which have been with the UFC. Like Adesanya, two of his middleweight wins have come against top 10 opponents, beating Michael Bisping in 2017, who had fought earlier that month and retired after their bout, and Ronaldo Souza in 2018.
“People just like to hate, that’s all,” Adesanya told the Herald on Sunday. “He’s not getting that hate because he’s not doing what I’m doing; he’s not in the spotlight like I am. I’m putting myself out there.
“When you’re a guy like me who’s doing great things . . . I’ve always expected the haters.”
Adesanya and Gastelum will meet in the octagon today with the interim
UFC middleweight title on the line and the winner set to book a date with injured champion Robert Whittaker to unify the belts later in the year.
It’s a moment he’s been working towards since he started training in the martial arts but he admitted it still hadn’t sunk in.
“It’s just another fight. For me, it’s never about the belt, it’s about the challenge, and Kelvin’s a really good challenge, so I can’t wait to test myself against him and pass with flying colours.”
The 29-year-old has been preparing for all scenarios, working with wrestling coach Andrei Paulet as well as Frank Hickman from the renowned Tiger Muay Thai gym in Phuket on his ground game. Working out in the hotel on Friday, it was clear Adesanya was prepared for the looks Gastelum would throw at him.
The Kiwi comes into the bout with a 16cm height advantage and a 21cm reach advantage, with his ability to manage distance likely to play a critical role in the bout.
“That’s why I’m so underrated, because of my size,” Gastelum said. “I’ve been fighting tall guys my entire career, so this is no different.”
Gastelum, standing at 1.79m, has been a quiet achiever in the UFC and has most recently opted to rely on his boxing rather than resorting to his wrestling game.
He is, however, a strong grappler, and with Adesanya having a massive reach advantage, he is expected to attempt to take the fight to the mat if he has the chance.
“I definitely feel confident with my hands and my boxing and I definitely plan on utilising it, but this is MMA . . . I’ll take what you can give me. I know how to fight these taller guys. I know how to get under these guys.”