How long did Israel Adesanya hold the belt? Is ‘The Last Stylebender’ UFC’s longest-reigning middleweight champion? All you need to know

Israel Adesanya is one of the most accomplished champions in UFC history and had two reigns as middleweight champion.

The former kickboxer made his UFC debut in 2018 with an unbeaten 12-0 MMA record and immediately became a fan favorite for his appealing fighting style. In only a year with the promotion, he had already defeated the who's who of the division including, Marvin Vettori, Derek Brunson, and Anderson Silva, and earned an opportunity to challenge for the interim middleweight championship.

How long did Israel Adesanya hold the UFC belt?

Israel Adesanya held the UFC middleweight title for a total reign of 1289 days over two stints.

Adesanya defeated former TUF winner Kelvin Gastelum in an all-time classic bout to become the interim champion and then proceeded to knock out then-champion Robert Whittaker to become the undisputed middleweight champion. In less than two years, he had already won the title and became the man to beat at 185 pounds.

Adesanya's reign as UFC middleweight champion was a long one as it lasted a total of 1134 days and saw him successfully defend his title on five occasions over Yoel Romero, Paulo Costa, Vettori, Whittaker, and Jared Cannonier, before losing it to Alex Pereira. During his reign, he also notably attempted to achieve double champ status when he challenged then-light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz but was unsuccessful as he was handed his first career loss via unanimous decision.

Adesanya regained the middleweight championship following a spectacular knockout over Pereira in the rematch but lost the title again to Sean Strickland at UFC 293. Despite his combined title reign of 1289 days, he still doesn't have the longest middleweight title reign in the promotion's history as that record is held by 'The Spider'.

The UFC Hall of Famer's legendary middleweight title reign began after his knockout win over Rich Franklin in 2006 and lasted until his knockout loss to Chris Weidman in 2013. The reign lasted an astonishing 2457 days and saw Silva successfully defend his title on 10 occasions over the likes of Dan Henderson, Yushin Okami, Vitor Belfort, and Chael Sonnen.