Before Israel “The Last Stylebender” Adesanya revolutionized the UFC middleweight division with his fluid striking and charismatic presence, he navigated the often unforgiving world of professional kickboxing. While his transition to MMA in 2018 is frequently viewed as a natural progression, Adesanya recently revealed that the real catalyst for his career shift was rooted in profound professional disappointment: an alleged scoring controversy in a crucial title bout.
The former two-time UFC middleweight champion admitted in a recent Q&A session at Bangtao in Thailand that he still holds a significant grudge stemming from his tenure at Glory Kickboxing, specifically referencing a middleweight title challenge that did not go his way.
The Night the Judges Saw Differently
In 2017, Adesanya faced Jason Wilnis for the Glory middleweight title in Los Angeles. While many expected a close contest showcasing elite striking, the final outcome—a unanimous decision loss for Adesanya—was, in his view, fundamentally flawed. This particular event, rather than his later knockout loss to career rival Alex Pereira, proved to be the breaking point with the organization.
“With Glory though, I just felt they screwed me out of a world title because they wanted the Dutch guy to win,” Adesanya stated. “So, yeah, that just made me really salty and you know me, I’m a petty guy, so I hold grudges.”
Adesanya`s assertion of being “screwed” points toward a persistent issue in combat sports: the perceived influence of promotion politics and geographical bias favoring local or established talent. Wilnis is Dutch, and Glory Kickboxing has deep historical ties to the Netherlands. For Adesanya, who was rapidly gaining international recognition, this loss felt less like a sporting defeat and more like a rigged ceiling imposed by organizational preference.
The Unexpected Benefit of Injustice
In a twist of fate only visible in retrospect, losing that 2017 title fight might be the single most important non-victory of Adesanya’s career. Had he secured the belt, the incentives to stay in the world of kickboxing would have been overwhelming. He would have been obligated to defend the title, potentially trapping him in a loop of lower pay and limited exposure compared to the global stage offered by the UFC.
The alleged “crooked” decision essentially issued an eviction notice from kickboxing. It presented a harsh, non-negotiable choice: continue fighting against perceived institutional bias, or pivot to a new discipline where his striking prowess could deliver undeniable, spectacular results.
The transition was almost immediate. Within a year of the Wilnis fight, Adesanya signed with the UFC. His subsequent, meteoric rise—marked by technical precision and flair—was perhaps fueled by the lingering sting of that 2017 decision. The middleweight division was promptly put on notice, and kickboxing`s loss became mixed martial arts` defining gain.
The Unbreakable Connection: Adesanya and Pereira
It is impossible to discuss Adesanya’s kickboxing career without mentioning Alex Pereira. While Adesanya’s gripe focuses on the political loss to Wilnis, it was Pereira who handed him his only two knockout losses in kickboxing, setting up arguably the greatest rivalry crossover in combat sports history.
Adesanya finally avenged those defeats in the UFC Octagon at UFC 287, demonstrating that while he may hold a grudge about past injustices, his focus remains strictly on executing justice in the present, regardless of the sport.
Sparring Giants: Rico Verhoeven’s Potential MMA Shift
Adesanya`s reflection on his kickboxing past naturally led him to comment on another prominent Glory figure currently eyeing the MMA world: heavyweight champion Rico Verhoeven, who recently vacated his title amidst talks of a potential UFC debut.
Adesanya recalled a prior sparring session with Verhoeven from years ago, emphasizing the stylistic mismatch at the time:
“He might not remember. He was a heavyweight, I was a middleweight. I could touch him but it wasn’t really doing anything, he was just moving me around.”
Despite the size disparity recollection, Adesanya believes that Verhoeven’s potential transition to the UFC Heavyweight division should be taken seriously. Given the historical difficulty of pure kickboxers adapting to MMA grappling, Verhoeven’s success depends entirely on his unseen training evolution.
“He’s been training MMA for a while,” Adesanya confirmed. “Just because some people kickbox and specialize in kickboxing doesn’t mean they’re not doing other disciplines as well. I think he’s been very well-versed in mixed martial arts so we’ll find out.”
If Verhoeven does indeed make the jump, he will be walking the path forged by Adesanya and Pereira—a path that for “The Last Stylebender,” began not with a triumphant victory, but with a controversial and defining exit from the world he once dominated.