Welcome to The Weekly Takedown, Sports Illustrated’s in-depth look at MMA. Every week, this column offers insight and information on the most noteworthy stories in the fight world.
For nearly half a decade, Israel Adesanya had no peer in the middleweight division. Adesanya emerged victorious in his first nine bouts in the UFC. From February 2018 to July of last summer, he racked up a dozen straight wins in the division, including five successful title defenses. There were fighters, like Robert Whittaker and Marvin Vettori, who he defeated on two separate occasions during that stretch.
Whittaker’s losses were especially noteworthy, as it looked like he was the most elite fighter in the division, with one clear exception: Adesanya.
