Israel Adesanya downplays undefeated record in UFC — ‘I know I can be beat’

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) middleweight champion Israel Adesanya, to date, has amassed a perfect record in mixed martial arts (MMA), racking up 20 straight wins with 15 highlight-reel knockouts, four of which came inside the Octagon.

But underneath all the bombast, “The Last Stylebender” understands that losing is always in the cards, particularly when he continues to fight the best in the world on a consistent basis. That’s why the former kickboxer isn’t getting too attached to his undefeated title.

“Being undefeated is just a title,” Adesanya told MMA Junkie. “It’s one of those titles that people try to hold up like it’s something. But you should see me in the gym. Some days I get my licks, so I know I can be beat. But when it’s under the lights and the pressure is on, on the biggest stage and I’m having fun, I’m a hard man to beat. I’m just gonna ride this out the way I’ve been riding it so far. Stay tuned.”

Adesanya, who turned 31 back in July, had a couple of close calls during his latest run, grinding out gritty decisions over Marvin Vettori and Kelvin Gastelum. In addition, “The Last Stylebender” suffered a handful of kickboxing losses under the GLORY banner.

Fortunately for Adesanya, most MMA fighters are ill-equipped to deal with his level of striking, an advantage he hopes to apply in prospective fights against Jan Blachowicz and Jon Jones, depending on what the promotion plans to do with light heavyweight contender Glover Teixeira.