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Watch those closest to Israel Adesanya celebrate his championship triumph over Robert Whittaker.
Israel Adesanya came up big at UFC 243, defeating Robert Whittaker via second-round knockout to unify the middleweight titles and surge into the UFC’s official top-ten pound-for-pound rankings.
It was a career-defining moment for Adesanya, and his family and cornermen got to celebrate the occasion with him at Melbourne’s Marvel Stadium in front 50,000-plus screaming fans.
Needless today, they were ecstatic.
Check out their reaction below, courtesy of the UFC’s latest episode of The Thrill and the Agony.
Not only did Adesanya unify the middleweight titles and break into the top-ten pound-for-pound list, but ‘The Last Stylebender’ emerged as arguably the new face of the UFC. The New Zealander has all the attributes — skill, style, and charisma — to become a global superstar.
As for what’s next, Adesanya is expected to defend his newly-acquired UFC title against streaking middleweight contender Paulo Costa in the new year. Expect an official fight announcement in the coming weeks.