One of the best fights of the UFC’s modern era will be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame this summer.
The UFC 236 bout between Israel Adesanya and Kelvin Gastelum served up a five-round war at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia as the pair did battle for the interim UFC middleweight title in the co-main event of the evening.
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The fight saw Adesanya claim the victory by unanimous decision, with scores of 48-46 on each of the three scorecards. But those mere numbers do little to tell the story of a wild back-and-forth battle that saw both men dig deeper than we’d ever seen before, or since.
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Gastelum started well and landed the first big shot of the fight as he sent Adesanya back into the fence with a big right hook before holding the upper hand through the rest of the opening stanza.
But Adesanya came storming back in a thrilling second round as he dropped Gastelum twice, then took control of the stand-up exchanges in the third round as he moved ahead on the scorecards.
Gastelum rallied in the fourth frame, and briefly rocked Adesanya late in the round with a head kick that left many observers wondering if the upcoming fifth round would be a winner-takes-all affair.
With the fight hanging in the balance, Adesanya and Gastelum emptied their respective gas tanks as they both went all-out for victory. But, with both men pushing themselves to the limit, it was Adesanya who was able to control his technique the better of the two, as he scored more effectively on the feet and dropped Gastelum twice in the final minute of the fight to seal the final round, and the victory.
Now the fight will be enshrined in the UFC Hall of Fame, with the announcement made during the live broadcast of UFC 312 in Sydney, Australia.
“The fight between Israel Adesanya and Kelvin Gastelum at UFC 236 was one of the greatest fights I’ve ever seen in my life,” said UFC president and CEO Dana White.
“This was an absolute war with the interim title on the line. Congrats to Israel Adesanya and Kelvin Gastelum on a fight that will always be remembered!”
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Adesanya and Gastelum will be invited to attend the UFC’s 2025 Hall of Fame ceremony during UFC International Fight Week this summer as their UFC 236 bout is inducted into the Fight Wing of the UFC Hall of Fame.
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