Israel Adesanya performed dance routine before knocking out Robert Whittaker to become UFC champion in front of record-breaking crowd
01/28/2025 10:44 AM
'The Last Stylebender' – a curious nickname for a professional MMA fighter, yet arguably one of the most accurate monikers in UFC history.
Ahead of his long-awaited return to action at UFC Fight Night: Saudi Arabia this coming weekend, Bloody Elbow is taking a trip down memory lane to when 'Stylebender' styled his way to world title success.
Israel Adesanya danced his way to the octagon before iconic knockout
There aren't many fighters who can claim to have 'burst onto the scene' quite like Israel Adesanya, who secured his undisputed title shot after scoring six big wins in a row, including a 'Fight of the Year' against Kelvin Gastelum.
Adesanya's crowning moment arrived in October 2019 at UFC 243, with his all-ANZAC throwdown against Robert Whittaker taking place in front of 57,000 screaming fans – the biggest crowd in UFC history.
Heading into that bout, fans of the Kiwi were nervous about how he'd perform in front of so many people and against such a highly skilled UFC veteran, yet those nerves were kicked to the curb before he'd even stepped foot inside the octagon.
As he entered the arena, flanked by three of his close friends, Adesanya performed a choreographed dance routine that understandably went viral; with TNT Sports' video having recently ticked past 5.7 million views.
Whilst the entrance was spectacular, his performance just a few minutes later was even better.
After a close opening round, Adesanya dropped Whittaker with a wicked right hook; the Australian was saved by the bell, which sounded just milliseconds after he hit the canvas.
Yet the writing was on the wall, and 'Stylebender' made sure that there'd be no saving grace the second time around, landing a beautiful pull counter left hook that KO'd the Australian just three minutes into round two.
Adesanya's UFC 243 walkout is widely considered to be one of the best entrances in MMA history, although Dana White would later joke that he 'doesn't love it' when fighters put on such a pre-fight spectacle.
"He's an interesting guy, but yeah, I don't love it; I battle with him every time," White told TMZ Sports with a wry smile on his face, explaining "I [like to] keep it as minimal as possible.
"I like guys that just walk right into the octagon, they're serious [and] they're all business… But you know what? It works for Israel. It works for him [because] he's got the personality to pull it off, and obviously, the guy can actually really dance."
- REAPER: Robert Whittaker reveals what Adesanya must avoid 'at all costs' as he predicts UFC Saudi Arabia
Adesanya and Robert Whittaker train together ahead of return fight
From bitter foes to training partners; Adesanya and Whittaker have teamed up in recent weeks ahead of the Kiwi's long-awaited return to action on Saturday, February 1.
"It's a funny world," laughed Whittaker on the surprise link-up, explaining "You've got to be open to his stuff and have an open mind to be able to work through that so everyone can get better.
"I think it's a good path to growth… We get along. Even when I was just chilling with him before, and talking with him, you can see a lot of the common interests make that really easy."
Adesanya is pulling out all the stops in the hope of getting back in the win column after suffering back-to-back title defeats at the hands of Sean Strickland and current king, Dricus Du Plessis.
Adesanya takes on French contender Nassourdine 'The Sniper' Imavov in the main event of UFC Fight Night: Saudi Arabia, a card that also features Shara 'Bullet' Magomedov vs Michael 'Venom' Page, and Sergei Pavlovich vs Jairzinho Rozenstruik.
UFC Fight Night: Adesanya vs Imavov goes down live from Saudi Arabia on February 1.
