Israel Adesanya’s utterly bonkers kickboxing record clearly put him in good stead for his run as UFC middleweight champion.
Having decided to start taking MMA seriously at the age of 20, it did not take long before Adesanya realised he had quite the talent.
In New Zealand, it’s almost a right of passage to enter an eight-man tournament called King in the Ring. It pits some of the best fighters against each other in a gruelling competition that starts and finishes on the same night providing the ultimate test of skill and endurance.READ MORE
“It’s the peak of kickboxing success,” Dan Hooker has said of the event that began in 2011. “It’s the first step – and certainly the pinnacle of getting nationally recognised.”
To win the King in the Ring, you must win three three-round fights – something Adesanya pulled off three times.
The Last Stylebender lived up to his nickname in all three contests, combining boxing and kicking to crush his opponents.
