Former UFC champions Israel Adesanya and Kamaru Usman rose to the top of the divisions, and the sport, at the same time.
Adesanya captured the undisputed middleweight crown at UFC 243 in October 2019 by knocking out Robert Whittaker. He held the interim championship heading into the title unification bout. Usman won the welterweight championship in March 2019, defeating Tyron Woodley via unanimous decision at UFC 235.
Adesanya and Usman’s paths never crossed inside the octagon, but the two recently sparred together in South Florida and Adesanya released the footage on YouTube.
Neither Adesanya or Usman currently hold UFC championships. Adesanya lost the middleweight title to Alex Pereira at UFC 282 before winning back in a rematch at UFC 287. He was then defeated by Sean Strickland and lost his next two fights. Despite being on a three-fight losing streak, “The Last Stylebender” is ranked No. 4 in the 185-pound division.
Usman’s welterweight championship reign ended at UFC 278 when he was knocked out by Leon Edwards. He came up short against Edwards in a rematch at UFC 286. Usman is also on a three-fight winning streak, losing to Khamzat Chimaev in a short notice middleweight clash at UFC 294 in October 2023 in his last outing. He’s ranked No. 4 in the 170-pound weight class.
