Nigerian-born mixed martial arts fighter, Israel Adesanya, has become the second Nigerian champion in the history of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).
The 29-year-old continued his unbeaten run in the UFC by defeating Kelvin Gastelum via unanimous decision for the interim middleweight title on Sunday.
The fight which lasted 25 minutes was Adesanya’s 17th win without a loss in the UFC.
Known as the Last Stylebender, he said: “I was ready for war. I was willing to leave it all and give it all.”
It was a dramatic bout at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta as both fighters left each other bloodied but in the end, Adesanya was announced the winner via unanimous decision (48-46, 48-46, 48-46) to win the interim championship belt.
Adesanya is the second Nigerian to emerge a champion in the UFC in recent weeks.
In March, Kamaru Usman became first the African-born fighter to win a UFC title after dominating Tyron Woodley in a one-sided bout at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
