How long did Israel Adesanya hold the belt? Is ‘Stylebender’ UFC’s longest-reigning middleweight champion? All you need to know

Israel Adesanya has a long list of accomplishments in the UFC and has held the middleweight championship title twice, solidifying his status as one of the most successful champions in the organization’s history.

In 2018, the ex-kickboxer entered the UFC with an impressive 12-0 MMA record and quickly won over fans with his exciting fighting techniques. Within a year of joining the organization, he had already defeated top contenders such as Marvin Vettori, Derek Brunson, and Anderson Silva, earning a chance to compete for the interim middleweight title.

In a memorable fight, Adesanya defeated Kelvin Gastelum, the former TUF winner, to earn the interim champion title. He then went on to knock out Robert Whittaker, the reigning champion, and claim the undisputed middleweight championship. Within a span of two years, he had already achieved the prestigious title and established himself as the top contender in the 185-pound weight division.

Despite his eventual loss to Alex Pereira, Adesanya’s tenure as UFC middleweight champion was a lengthy one, spanning 1134 days and featuring five successful title defenses against opponents such as Yoel Romero, Paulo Costa, Vettori, Whittaker, and Jared Cannonier. He also made a noteworthy attempt at becoming a double champion by challenging Jan Blachowicz for the light heavyweight title, but ultimately suffered his first career defeat via unanimous decision.

Despite his impressive title reign of 1289 days, Adesanya was unable to break the record for the longest middleweight championship reign in the history of the promotion. Although he regained the title with a stunning knockout against Pereira in their rematch, he ultimately lost it to Sean Strickland at UFC 293. This record is still held by ‘The Spider’, making Adesanya’s reign the second longest in the division.

In 2006, the UFC Hall of Famer began his legendary middleweight title reign with a knockout victory over Rich Franklin. This reign lasted a remarkable 2457 days and came to an end in 2013 with a knockout defeat to Chris Weidman. During this time, Silva defended his title 10 times against notable opponents such as Dan Henderson, Yushin Okami, Vitor Belfort, and Chael Sonnen.