Former two-time UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya is set to be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame today, as his memorable 2019 fight against Kelvin Gastelum is added to the promotion’s Fight Wing during a ceremony at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Adesanya’s five-round interim middleweight title clash at UFC 236, which he won by unanimous decision, joins other legendary matchups such as Forrest Griffin vs. Stephan Bonnar, Matt Hughes vs. Frank Trigg II, and Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen in the Hall of Fame’s 2025 class.
The induction event, with all ticket proceeds benefiting the UFC Foundation, serves as the UFC’s annual tribute to the sport’s most impactful figures and iconic bouts. Adesanya expressed deep appreciation when the news was announced in February, saying to The Mac Life, “Very grateful. I knew that was a special fight, a special moment in combat sports history. I even said on the camera when they had the cameras on me in the stadium, I said, ‘Hey Kelvin, that was us’ because it takes two to tango. That man can salsa.”
The fight is widely remembered for its intensity and the emotional moment when Adesanya, before the final round, declared his willingness to die in the octagon. “That was the realest moment I think I’ve ever had in the cage,” he said. “I meant every single word of it, and I returned the favour by trying to kill him. And he’s a hard man to kill. In the moment, I wasn’t scared, I wasn’t scared of death. I just thought, ‘if this is how I go out, this is how I go out — but I’m going to die trying.’”
UFC CEO Dana White previously praised the bout as one of the greatest he’s ever seen, calling it “an absolute war with the interim title on the line” and congratulated both fighters for delivering a performance that will be remembered.
Gastelum, still active in the UFC’s middleweight division, reflected on the match via social media, stating, “This fight happened six years ago, & I still get so many callbacks and compliments and comments about this fight. I find it funny ‘cause this feels like something that happens to old people, 13 years in this game, and people think I’m done. Far from it.”
The UFC Hall of Fame, established to recognise the promotion’s most notable figures since its 1993 launch, includes four wings: Pioneers, Modern Era, Fight Wing, and Contributors. The inclusion of Adesanya and Gastelum’s contest in the Fight Wing secures its legacy as one of the most significant matchups in UFC history.
Source : https://punchng.com/
