Israel Adesanya enters UFC Hall of Fame fight wing for Kelvin Gastelum bout in 2019

Israel Adesanya and Kelvin Gastelum were inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame for their bout in 2019. Photo / Getty Images

When the opportunity to clinch UFC gold first presented itself to Israel Adesanya, the Last Stylebender walked through the fire to have it wrapped around his waist.

That opportunity came at UFC 236 in Atlanta in 2019, where he and American Kelvin Gastelum contested the interim middleweight title as then-incumbent champion Robert Whittaker was out of action.

At the time, it saw Adesanya earn his first UFC title belt. Now, it has earned both fighters a place in the fight wing of the UFC’s Hall of Fame.

The pair were inducted during a ceremony in Las Vegas this afternoon, part of the UFC’s International Fight Week celebrations that culminate in Sunday’s UFC 317 pay-per-view in which Kai Kara-France, Adesanya’s teammate from Auckland’s City Kickboxing gym, will compete for the flyweight championship.

“This was one of the most important moments not just in my career, but in my life as a man. Top three, one of the most important moments of my life to this day,” Adesanya said in his induction speech.

“It showed me what the human animal is capable of when we tap into our spirit. I found courage, unwavering will and a desire to be great. I said it, I was willing to, but if I had died that night, what a glorious death. I’m glad we lived to fight another day.”

It was the Nigerian-Kiwi’s sixth bout under the UFC banner, after joining the promotion in 2018 as a highly touted prospect and living up to that billing.

However, it was a fight that pushed both men to their absolute limits. Speaking to the Herald in Atlanta immediately after the bout, head coach Eugene Bareman said it was Adesanya’s most difficult fight to date.

But it ended with Adesanya having his hand raised, seeing him break away from the tag of a hyped prospect and skyrocket into international stardom.

It was a tight bout, with both men having big moments in the first four rounds. They were tied going into the fifth.

Between the fourth and fifth rounds, the camera caught Adesanya as he said, “You can’t beat me. I’m prepared to die,” before he went on to dominate the final round, despite being badly rocked by a head kick in the previous round. That moment between rounds, and what it led to, added to the narrative as the bout quickly cemented itself as one of the best.

Adesanya knocked Gastelum down four times in the bout, setting a new UFC record for knockdowns in a title fight, and both men were awarded a US$50,000 (NZ$82,350) Fight of the Night bonus.

The bout was later awarded Fight of the Year.

“We knew what we did, we knew what we shared in that space. It was special,” Adesanya said in his post-fight press conference in Atlanta.

“These are legendary moments in time and history, and I’m so grateful to be a part of it.”

Christopher Reive joined the Herald sports team in 2017, bringing the same versatility to his coverage as he does to his sports viewing habits.