‘The Last Stylebender’ admitted that he still holds a grudge over a pivotal moment early in his career.
Israel Adesanya has delivered numerous stellar performances inside the Octagon since making his UFC debut in February 2018. The former two-time middleweight champion introduced a high level of striking into MMA, instantly cementing his status as one of the sport`s most dangerous specialists.
While Adesanya has now settled his intense rivalry with Alex Pereira following their clashes in both kickboxing and the UFC, their history was fundamentally shaped by moments that occurred outside the UFC spotlight.
However, Adesanya’s career trajectory might have looked drastically different had he not been, in his own words, unfairly denied a world title earlier in his career.
Adesanya’s Relationship with Glory Kickboxing Soured After 2017 Title Challenge
At UFC 287, Israel Adesanya finally secured his first professional win against Alex Pereira, overcoming his greatest rival. Pereira was not only the man who briefly dethroned him in the UFC middleweight division but was also the last fighter to defeat Adesanya in kickboxing before his transition to MMA.
‘The Last Stylebender’ ultimately signed with the UFC the year following his departure from Glory. However, the initial breakdown in his relationship with the kickboxing promotion wasn`t triggered by his knockout loss to Pereira in 2017.
During a recent Q&A session at Bangtao in Thailand, Adesanya reflected on his second-to-last professional kickboxing match—a unanimous decision loss to Jason Wilnis for the Glory middleweight title.
Adesanya strongly criticized the outcome of that fight, branding the decision “crooked.” He explained that while the promotion started well for him, his relationship declined severely after that match.
“With Glory though, I just felt they screwed me out of a world title because they wanted the Dutch guy to win,” Adesanya stated. “So, yeah, that just made me really salty and you know me, I’m a petty guy, so I hold grudges.”
The champion, who is now 36, acknowledged that winning that belt in Los Angeles might have prevented his eventual rapid rise to the top of the UFC, as it would have delayed his jump to MMA.
Despite his harsh criticism, Adesanya tempered his comments, adding a note of gratitude: “Nah jokes, be nice Israel. It’s a great organization for kickboxing. I think they did a lot for kickboxers coming up. They did a lot for kickboxers, even myself. Put me on the map and I’m grateful.”
Adesanya Recalls Sparring Heavyweight Champion Rico Verhoeven
Like Adesanya and Pereira before him, another prominent Glory star, heavyweight champion Rico Verhoeven, is reportedly considering a transition to the UFC. Derrick Lewis recently claimed he was offered a fight against Verhoeven at UFC 324, suggesting the move is imminent.
During the Q&A, Adesanya mentioned that he had previously sparred with Verhoeven when he was brought to the US to help Anthony ‘Rumble’ Johnson prepare for Jon Jones.
“He might not remember. He was a heavyweight, I was a middleweight. I could touch him but it wasn’t really doing anything, he was just moving me around.”
Adesanya confirmed that he believes Verhoeven has been preparing meticulously for a potential MMA career.
“Of course. He’s been training MMA for a while,” Adesanya said. “Just because some people kickbox and specialize in kickboxing doesn’t mean they’re not doing other disciplines as well. I think he’s been very well-versed in mixed martial arts so we’ll find out.”
