UFC middleweight Israel Adesanya made an emphatic debut on the big stage, knocking out Rob Wilkinson at UFC 221 in Perth, Australia, on Feb. 11.

Adesanya’s UFC debut was a long time coming. He first stepped into an MMA gym with the goal of making it to the UFC, and his coaches decided kickboxing was a good way for him to learn the stand-up for MMA. That led to almost 80 kickboxing matches and a stellar 75-4 record as Adesanya developed into an elite striker.

“I've been doing this for a long time," Adesanya told FloCombat. "I didn't really plan it. It just kind of happened that way. A lot of kickboxing fights came up while I was getting my grappling tutelage under my belt. Over the years, I've had a few MMA fights along the way just to dip my toes in the water and eventually get to ankle deep and knee high, and now I just jumped into the shark tank. There was a lot of blood as well. 

"I could smell the blood in there.”

While Adesanya felt his UFC debut coming for years, he went relatively unnoticed by the mainstream audience. That is until he took the cage at UFC 221. His performance against Wilkinson was nearly flawless, leaving everyone impressed — except Adesanya himself.

“The fight, it was — it was average,” Adesanya said. “I expected to take him out in the first and once I stepped into the Octagon and I felt the energy of the arena and just the vibe and everything, I told myself, 'You know what? Don't put your foot on the gas just yet, just tap the gas a little bit.' My coach said the exact same thing. So I'd give it a C, C-minus.”

Adesanya’s debut didn’t really offer any surprises for the 28-year-old Nigerian-born New Zealander. Adesanya had been visualizing that exact moment for years. 

“It was just like fighting on any other show really — when you're in the cage,” Adesanya said. “Outside of the cage, best world show I've ever had. The staff were awesome, they were very helpful. Even today one of the doctors were still texting me and checking up on me, making sure I'm all right. You don't really get that kind of treatment at other shows. 

"I know the UFC get a bad rep for, 'Oh, the fighters this and that,' and, 'Oh, we need a fighters union,' from the people who are in the UFC and I kind of believed that before I jumped in the UFC. They really run a tight ship and they don't fu*k around. When I stepped in that cage, it's just another Octagon.”

For as impressive as Adesanya’s striking is, there has always been a question about how he would fare on the ground. At UFC 221, “The Last Stylebender” believes his ground game led him to victory.

“My takedown defense, my get-ups,” Adesanya said when asked the keys to his victory. “As soon as I felt the fence and he got me down, my muscle memory knew, 'We've been here before.' I could hear his corner as well, I could hear them saying, 'Yep we got him, he's never been here before, we've put hours of work into this,' and I was about to break focus and retaliate verbally to his corner. I decided [not to] and stay in the moment and just focus on the task at hand. I'm pretty sure they were trying to get under my skin. 

"But they didn't realize I have tough, bulletproof skin. So they never really got to me." 

Next time, Adesanya says his skills will be even further honed. 

“My get-ups were on point, my striking spoke for itself,” Adesanya continued. “I was really impressed with my ability to get up and break. Next time I'll be able to break the grips and the takedowns and get up way easier. I'm glad I got to the second round and got to feel the first round of being in the UFC. Because as soon as that first round was over, the first thing I said to my coach is, 'I'm fresh.' 

"Even before the second round, I said, 'I'm fresh. You're fu*ked.'"

Despite proving he was wasn’t a fish out of water on the ground, Adesanya doesn’t expect the critics to give it a rest. That's the game, and it's one he understands well. 

“No matter what there will always be critics," Adesanya said. "Even Jesus Christ himself was crucified and he's the goodest c*nt in the world. I know there's always going to be critics, and yeah, I welcome someone to take me down and keep me down. I welcome someone to put me on my back and see what happens. You have no idea what my top game's like. 

"I could be Khabib [Nurmagomedov] on top, I could be a murderer or a rapist on top. You never know until you get me there."

And while he's confident in his abilities on the mats, he knows what he excels at and that's putting fists, shins, knees, and elbows on his opponents from all angles. 

“Right now I'm just looking to keep it on my feet but who knows, one day I may double-leg someone and slam them on their head," he said. 

One man Adesanya is always compared to is former UFC light heavyweight champion and all-time great Jon Jones. Although Adesanya isn’t a fan of the comparisons, he still has a lot of respect for “Bones." 

“I don't want to say it bothers me, but obviously, we're both big, black men with long limbs and we fight great,” Adesanya said. “I'm a different look to him. Like, his wrestling is phenomenal and I'd love to learn from him and how to have like that tall-people wrestling and my coaches have already picked up some things he does very well. His striking isn't on my level. We're two different kinds of fighters. 

"I respect the work he's put in and what he's done over the years. He's a legend already and he's still fighting. I'm not here to be the next whoever. I'm here to be me. I want to be the first and only Israel Adesanya.”

With a successful debut now behind him, the future holds plenty of intrigue for Adesanya and every fan wants to know: Who's next? 

While he doesn’t have a date or an opponent for his return, he says he's not looking to take time off.

“As soon as possible,” Adesanya said of his return to the cage. “I'm just going to chill this weekend. Monday I'm back in the gym and I'm coming for... everyone.

“I'm the hot shit in the yard. I'm on heat and they all want to f*ck... So let them.”

By Lucas Grandsire