Former two-time UFC Middleweight Champion, Israel Adesanya, has been officially inducted into the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Hall of Fame.
The Nigerian-born fighter was honoured under the Fight Wing category during a ceremony held at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, USA, in recognition of his legendary bout against Kelvin Gastelum at UFC 236 in 2019.
Adesanya clinched a unanimous decision victory over Gastelum in what is widely regarded as one of the greatest title fights in UFC history. He scored a record four knockdowns en route to capturing the Interim UFC Middleweight Championship that night.
Other iconic matchups set for induction into the 2025 Hall of Fame class include Forrest Griffin vs. Stephan Bonnar, Matt Hughes vs. Frank Trigg II, and Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen.
Reacting to the news, Adesanya expressed both surprise and gratitude:
“I was surprised,” he admitted in a February interview. “I was like, ‘Hall of Fame? I’m too young.’ But I wouldn’t fight it—I’ll accept it. If they want to honour me like that, I’ll take it. I’m very grateful.”
