Unbeaten Nigerian Prospect Israel Adesanya to Make Octagon Debut at UFC 221

Unbeaten Nigerian prospect Israel Adesanya has signed with the Ultimate Fighting Championship and will make his Octagon debut early next year.

The promotion announced Thursday that Adesanya, known as “The Style Bender,” will square off against Rob Wilkinson in a middleweight bout at UFC 221 on Feb. 10. UFC 221 takes place at the Perth Arena in Perth, Australia and is headlined by a middleweight championship tilt between Robert Whittaker and Luke Rockhold.

Adesanya, who is now based in New Zealand, brings an 11-0 mark into his first UFC foray. Additionally, the 28-year-old middleweight has compiled a 50-5 career mark as a kickboxer and a 5-1 record as a boxer. Adesanya has finished all 11 of his wins by KO or TKO, including a first-round stoppage of UFC and Bellator MMA veteran Melvin Guillard at Australian Fighting Championship 20 on July 28.

I'm not going to overhype Israel Adesanya because his skill and credentials speak for themselves. You like question mark kicks? #UFCPerth pic.twitter.com/ya8lPgGNly

— caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) December 28, 2017

Wilkinson, meanwhile, suffered his first pro defeat in 12 outings in his promotional debut at UFC Fight Night 115, as he suffered a second-round TKO loss to Siyar Bahadurzada. The 25-year-old Australian had finished 10 of his first 11 victories by knockout, technical knockout or submission.