Before stepping into the octagon to deliver a dominant performance and claim the undisputed UFC middleweight championship against Robert Whittaker, Israel Adesanya crafted one of the most iconic walkouts in the promotion`s history.
The memorable entrance took place in Melbourne, Australia, where Adesanya performed a brief, choreographed dance routine at the entrance before making his way to the cage. This unforgettable walkout was a prelude to his brutal knockout victory over Whittaker, which unified the UFC`s 185-pound title.
More than five years later, “The Last Stylebender” shared insights into the creation of this dance and walkout during an appearance on the *Our Yeah* podcast.
Adesanya explained that the walkout preparation was simply for enjoyment. He recalled prepping the night before, watching a replay of his practice walkout on his phone as he drifted off to sleep, thinking, “F*ck, this is going to look cool as f*ck.”
He stressed that because the work for the fight itself was already completed during training camp, he felt no anxiety about the upcoming bout, stating, “So I wasn’t worried about the fight. We already did the work.”
In the fight itself, Adesanya came close to finishing Whittaker in the opening round. However, he ultimately secured the victory in Round 2, landing a devastating left hook that ended the night for “The Reaper” and marked what was, at the time, the biggest win of Adesanya`s career.
Currently, Adesanya is at a pivotal point in his career, facing challenges after losing three consecutive fights and four of his last five outings. His recent defeats include a stoppage loss to Nassourdine Imavov in the main event of UFC Saudi Arabia earlier this year, and a bout against current middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis at UFC 305 this past August.
Marcus Blakely 
Wesley Dunham