If you’re going to cover this sport the right way, you have to have a little skepticism in your heart. If you’re going to be a New Yorker covering this sport, you’ve got that part down pat before you put your hands on the keyboard. So as good as Israel Adesanya had been in soaring to a world title shot after just five UFC fights, I didn’t know if he would be ready for: A) Kelvin Gastelum, who seemingly had the style to beat him. B) Rounds four and five of a championship match. And C) The power of Gastelum should the TUF winner land one of his bombs. Yet by the end of 25 minutes, Adesanya checked all those boxes in the positive column and left the Octagon as the new interim UFC middleweight champion. It wasn’t just a fight we’ll be talking about for a long time; it was the fight where Adesanya proved to be something special. He took the big shots, he got banged up, and he kept coming, closing the show with a spectacular fifth round where he showed the heart of a champion. And now he is one.
