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Israel Adesanya

Middleweight · REAL v1.0 (registered) #25; v1.1 (shadow) #14

Descriptive profile. The resume rank is what has been earned; these statistics are context, not a prediction. A test on Oct 20, 2026 found that career statistics add nothing reliable to age, layoff and experience as predictors of the next result (experiments/REGISTER.md, EXP-2026-10-20-14).

Weight band 19-33: the 10th to 90th percentile of his position across weight vectors drawn near the 70/30 weights. Rating 1,675, deviation 114: measured from 19 UFC bouts; a one-bout newcomer sits near 290.

Age 37 (born 1989-07-22) · Height 6 ft 4 in (193 cm) · Reach 80 in (203 cm) · Stance Switch · 218 days since last bout (2026-03-28) · Last five 1-4 · Streak L4

Why he is ranked here

Rating 1,675 is the division's 11th highest of 79 board fighters; the ledger stands at +5.2 (+6.1 from quality wins, less 1.0 for other losses outside the top 5; losses count for three years); 11 quality wins in 15 years, 10 over top-10 opponents, which makes him entrenched; form penalty 0.60 for a 1-4 last five. Score +0.12 = +0.36 (rating term, 70% weight) +0.36 (ledger term, 30% weight) -0.60 (form penalty); score order put him at #25.

TermValueDetail
Score+0.1270% rating term + 30% ledger term - form penalty
Rating term+0.36resume rating 1,675, scaled against the division's interdecile range
Ledger term+0.36quality ledger +5.2: +6.1 QW +0.0 proof -0.0 blowout -1.0 weak
Form penalty0.60last five 1-4
Quality wins, 15 years1110 over top-10 opponents, 11 over top-15; entrenched
Placementscore order #25v1.0 (registered)
Shadow board v1.1#14score +0.31; score order #14

Rules, weights and worked examples: methodology.

Last ten bouts

DateEventOpponentOpp. official rankResultMethodRoundModel p
2026-03-28UFC Fight Night: Adesanya vs. PyferJoe Pyfer#14LKO/TKO2 (4:18)60%
2025-02-01UFC Fight Night: Adesanya vs. ImavovNassourdine Imavov#5LKO/TKO2 (0:30)54%
2024-08-17UFC 305: Du Plessis vs. Adesanya (title)Dricus Du PlessisCLsubmission4 (3:38)35%
2023-09-09UFC 293: Adesanya vs. Strickland (title)Sean Strickland#5Lunanimous decision5 (5:00)60%
2023-04-08UFC 287: Pereira vs. Adesanya 2 (title)Alex PereiraCWKO/TKO2 (4:21)57%
2022-11-12UFC 281: Adesanya vs. Pereira (title)Alex Pereira#4LKO/TKO5 (2:01)66%
2022-07-02UFC 276: Adesanya vs. Cannonier (title)Jared Cannonier#2Wunanimous decision5 (5:00)71%
2022-02-12UFC 271: Adesanya vs. Whittaker 2 (title)Robert Whittaker#1Wunanimous decision5 (5:00)52%
2021-06-12UFC 263: Adesanya vs. Vettori 2 (title)Marvin Vettori#3Wunanimous decision5 (5:00)63%
2021-03-06UFC 259: Blachowicz vs. Adesanya (title)Jan BlachowiczCLunanimous decision5 (5:00)56%

Opp. official rank = the UFC media-panel rank of the opponent on the date (C champion, #1 to #15, unranked; n/a before Feb 2013 or where no official board existed). Model p = the predictive model's pre-fight win chance for him (frozen performance-adjusted Elo; bouts before 2020 were in its tuning sample). Linked opponents have a profile.

Career statistics

Through 2026-10-31, UFC bouts only. Percentile = share of the 79 board fighters at Middleweight at or below this value; high is a position in the division, not a verdict.

Output
Significant strikes landed per minute4.03(57th percentile at Middleweight)
Significant strike accuracy48%(42nd percentile at Middleweight)
Knockdowns scored per 15 minutes0.60(73rd percentile at Middleweight)
Share of wins by finish38%(28th percentile at Middleweight)
Defence and damage
Significant strikes absorbed per minute3.22(38th percentile at Middleweight)
Significant strike defence56%(70th percentile at Middleweight)
Knockdowns suffered per 15 minutes0.09(37th percentile at Middleweight)
Significant strikes absorbed, career1,049(90th percentile at Middleweight)
KO/TKO losses3 (last 2026-03-28, 218 days ago)(94th percentile at Middleweight)
Submission losses1(87th percentile at Middleweight)
KO/TKO losses per bout over 10 years, each weighted down by the finisher's danger0.059(54th percentile at Middleweight)
Grappling
Takedowns landed per 15 minutes0.05(18th percentile at Middleweight)
Takedown defence76%(67th percentile at Middleweight)
Share of cage time in control3%(9th percentile at Middleweight)
Share of significant strikes landed in the clinch or on the ground8%(13th percentile at Middleweight)
Stylestriker (0.5 takedown attempts per 15 min; 3% control)
Career stage
Age37.3(91st percentile at Middleweight)
Age at UFC debut28.6(51st percentile at Middleweight)
Years since UFC debut8.7(89th percentile at Middleweight)
UFC bouts19(91st percentile at Middleweight)
Cage time, minutes326(95th percentile at Middleweight)
Bouts per year, last three years1.0(18th percentile at Middleweight)
Days since last bout218(84th percentile at Middleweight)

Board position since Oct 2023

C1020304020252026Oct 2023Oct 20262023-10-06: #1, Middleweight2023-10-13: #1, Middleweight2023-10-20: #1, Middleweight2023-11-03: #1, Middleweight2023-11-10: #1, Middleweight2023-11-17: #1, Middleweight2023-12-01: #1, Middleweight2023-12-08: #1, Middleweight2023-12-15: #1, Middleweight2024-01-12: #1, Middleweight2024-01-19: #1, Middleweight2024-02-02: #2, Middleweight2024-02-09: #2, Middleweight2024-02-16: #2, Middleweight2024-02-23: #2, Middleweight2024-03-01: #2, Middleweight2024-03-08: #2, Middleweight2024-03-15: #2, Middleweight2024-03-22: #2, Middleweight2024-03-29: #2, Middleweight2024-04-05: #2, Middleweight2024-04-12: #2, Middleweight2024-04-26: #2, Middleweight2024-05-03: #2, Middleweight2024-05-10: #2, Middleweight2024-05-17: #2, Middleweight2024-05-31: #2, Middleweight2024-06-07: #2, Middleweight2024-06-14: #2, Middleweight2024-06-21: #2, Middleweight2024-06-28: #2, Middleweight2024-07-12: #2, Middleweight2024-07-19: #2, Middleweight2024-07-26: #2, Middleweight2024-08-02: #2, Middleweight2024-08-09: #2, Middleweight2024-08-16: #2, Middleweight2024-08-23: #4, Middleweight2024-09-06: #4, Middleweight2024-09-13: #4, Middleweight2024-09-27: #4, Middleweight2024-10-04: #4, Middleweight2024-10-11: #4, Middleweight2024-10-18: #4, Middleweight2024-10-25: #4, Middleweight2024-11-01: #4, Middleweight2024-11-08: #4, Middleweight2024-11-15: #4, Middleweight2024-11-22: #4, Middleweight2024-12-06: #4, Middleweight2024-12-13: #4, Middleweight2025-01-10: #4, Middleweight2025-01-17: #4, Middleweight2025-01-31: #4, Middleweight2025-02-07: #9, Middleweight2025-02-14: #9, Middleweight2025-02-21: #10, Middleweight2025-02-28: #10, Middleweight2025-03-07: #11, Middleweight2025-03-14: #11, Middleweight2025-03-21: #12, Middleweight2025-03-28: #12, Middleweight2025-04-04: #12, Middleweight2025-04-11: #12, Middleweight2025-04-25: #12, Middleweight2025-05-02: #12, Middleweight2025-05-09: #11, Middleweight2025-05-16: #11, Middleweight2025-05-30: #11, Middleweight2025-06-06: #11, Middleweight2025-06-13: #11, Middleweight2025-06-20: #11, Middleweight2025-06-27: #11, Middleweight2025-07-11: #12, Middleweight2025-07-18: #12, Middleweight2025-07-25: #12, Middleweight2025-08-01: #13, Middleweight2025-08-08: #14, Middleweight2025-08-15: #14, Middleweight2025-08-22: #13, Middleweight2025-09-05: #13, Middleweight2025-09-12: #10, Middleweight2025-09-26: #14, Middleweight2025-10-03: #14, Middleweight2025-10-10: #15, Middleweight2025-10-17: #15, Middleweight2025-10-24: #14, Middleweight2025-10-31: #14, Middleweight2025-11-07: #16, Middleweight2025-11-14: #18, Middleweight2025-11-21: #16, Middleweight2025-12-05: #16, Middleweight2025-12-12: #16, Middleweight2026-01-23: #14, Middleweight2026-01-30: #12, Middleweight2026-02-06: #11, Middleweight2026-02-20: #14, Middleweight2026-02-27: #13, Middleweight2026-03-06: #11, Middleweight2026-03-13: #14, Middleweight2026-03-20: #16, Middleweight2026-03-27: #21, Middleweight2026-04-03: #25, Middleweight2026-04-10: #30, Middleweight2026-04-17: #29, Middleweight2026-04-24: #24, Middleweight2026-05-01: #23, Middleweight2026-05-08: #23, Middleweight2026-05-15: #23, Middleweight2026-05-29: #23, Middleweight2026-06-05: #23, Middleweight2026-06-13: #23, Middleweight2026-06-19: #23, Middleweight2026-06-26: #23, Middleweight2026-07-10: #29, Middleweight2026-07-17: #30, Middleweight2026-07-24: #29, Middleweight2026-07-31: #29, Middleweight2026-08-07: #29, Middleweight2026-08-14: #29, Middleweight2026-08-21: #31, Middleweight2026-08-28: #30, Middleweight2026-09-04: #29, Middleweight2026-09-11: #25, Middleweight2026-09-18: #25, Middleweight2026-09-25: #26, Middleweight2026-09-26: #26, Middleweight2026-10-03: #27, Middleweight2026-10-10: #27, Middleweight2026-10-17: #27, Middleweight2026-10-24: #26, Middleweight2026-10-31: #25, Middleweight#25

Position on the registered v1.0 board at each weekly snapshot (C = title holder or reserved, drawn at the top; lower is better).

Predictive rating by bout

1,5001,6001,7001,8001,900202020212022202320242025Feb 2018Oct 20262018-02-10: 1,551 (W vs Rob Wilkinson)2018-04-14: 1,575 (W vs Marvin Vettori)2018-07-06: 1,668 (W vs Brad Tavares)2018-11-03: 1,776 (W vs Derek Brunson)2019-02-09: 1,793 (W vs Anderson Silva)2019-04-13: 1,822 (W vs Kelvin Gastelum)2019-10-05: 1,860 (W vs Robert Whittaker)2020-03-07: 1,860 (W vs Yoel Romero)2020-09-26: 1,896 (W vs Paulo Costa)2021-03-06: 1,859 (L vs Jan Blachowicz)2021-06-12: 1,862 (W vs Marvin Vettori)2022-02-12: 1,874 (W vs Robert Whittaker)2022-07-02: 1,866 (W vs Jared Cannonier)2022-11-12: 1,839 (L vs Alex Pereira)2023-04-08: 1,832 (W vs Alex Pereira)2023-09-09: 1,786 (L vs Sean Strickland)2024-08-17: 1,792 (L vs Dricus Du Plessis)2025-02-01: 1,787 (L vs Nassourdine Imavov)2026-03-28: 1,756 (L vs Joe Pyfer)1,756

Rating after each UFC bout from the frozen predictive model (performance-adjusted Elo, data/processed/elo_history.csv; a debut starts at 1,500). The resume rating's history is not stored, so this is the predictive line, which is a different number from the resume rating in the header.

Trajectory

Recent performances run about 157 points behind the rating: fighters this age typically run 68 points behind their rating, and his own recent results put him a further 88 points behind.

ComponentPointsMeaning
Age component-68what fighters aged 37.3 typically run relative to their rating (population curve, all UFC bouts since 2011)
Own recent results-88his recency-weighted mean and trend over 19 bouts, shrunk toward zero; trend -18 points a year
Combined-157the rating's likely distance from his current performance level, in rating points
Readingbehind ratingahead of, in line with (within 30 points), or behind the rating

Performance relative to the rating, by age

-1.0-0.5+0.0+0.5+1.028293031323334353637382018-02-10 (age 28.6): W vs Rob Wilkinson, residual +0.472018-04-14 (age 28.7): W vs Marvin Vettori, residual +0.022018-07-06 (age 29.0): W vs Brad Tavares, residual +0.522018-11-03 (age 29.3): W vs Derek Brunson, residual +0.652019-02-09 (age 29.6): W vs Anderson Silva, residual +0.472019-04-13 (age 29.7): W vs Kelvin Gastelum, residual +0.302019-10-05 (age 30.2): W vs Robert Whittaker, residual +0.562020-03-07 (age 30.6): W vs Yoel Romero, residual +0.192020-09-26 (age 31.2): W vs Paulo Costa, residual +0.402021-03-06 (age 31.6): L vs Jan Blachowicz, residual -0.432021-06-12 (age 31.9): W vs Marvin Vettori, residual +0.162022-02-12 (age 32.6): W vs Robert Whittaker, residual +0.072022-07-02 (age 32.9): W vs Jared Cannonier, residual +0.132022-11-12 (age 33.3): L vs Alex Pereira, residual -0.712023-04-08 (age 33.7): W vs Alex Pereira, residual +0.432023-09-09 (age 34.1): L vs Sean Strickland, residual -0.512024-08-17 (age 35.1): L vs Dricus Du Plessis, residual -0.522025-02-01 (age 35.5): L vs Nassourdine Imavov, residual -0.612026-03-28 (age 36.7): L vs Joe Pyfer, residual -0.56-0.23

Each dot is one decided UFC bout at his age then: the performance score minus the rating's expectation, on the score's own scale from -1 to +1 (filled = win, hollow = loss; above zero is better than the rating implied; a finish as a slight favourite is about +0.45). The dashed line is the population curve for all fighters; the solid line is this fighter's own fitted level and trend as of the data date, weighted toward recent bouts. One unit sustained over many bouts corresponds to about 695 rating points; a single bout's residual is noisy.

Held-out evidence (walk-forward 2016 to 2026, EXP-2026-10-21-01): the age curve held in every test year; the individual component is a weak signal (correlation 0.06 with the next bout's residual; among fighters aged 33 or over, the lowest predicted quartile won 38% of next bouts against 53% expected, the highest 48% against 52%) and adds nothing to bout prediction beyond the shadow model. No board uses any of it: the rankings answer who has earned the place, not who wins next (EXP-2026-10-20-09). Method: src/mmalab/decline.py; settings: config/decline.yaml (expectation from the resume rating; one unit of residual is about 695 rating points).

Context flags

Descriptive only. Each line is a population fact about fighters like him, not a forecast for him; the register entries hold the measurements.

REAL v1.0 (registered method) · build c166ee8 · data through 2026-10-31 · page built 2026-11-06 · changelog. Independent fan research project built on public UFCStats data. Not affiliated with, sponsored or endorsed by UFC, Zuffa, LLC, TKO Group Holdings, or any athlete. All trademarks belong to their owners and are used only to identify athletes and events.