"I thought that was MVP at first" - When fans were blown away by Israel Adesanya's kickboxing clip from 2015

Israel Adesanya delivered a spectacular knockout all the way back in the 2015 New Zealand Kickboxing Championship tournament. In the first round, Adesanya landed a left head kick that knocked his opponent, Pati Afoa, out cold.

A clip of the knockout made it's way to Reddit and subsequently sparked reactions from several MMA enthusiasts. Fans rushed to the comments section to share their thoughts.

Israel Adesanya kickboxing in 2015 by inufc

Users chimed in with comments like:

“That movement so reminds me of Anderson Silva.”

“Ngl I thought that was MVP at first."

"This is when I started seeing Izzy. Man I remember trying to show my brother Izzy's fight with Yoel Romero thinking it'd be crazy."

Check out some more fan reaction screenshots below:

Fan reactions screenshots. [Screenshot courtesy: @ufc on Reddit]

As things stand, Adesanya is set to clash against Nassourdine Imavov in the main event of UFC Saudi Arabia. The card will take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Saturday, Feb. 1.

---

Israel Adesanya’s former foe praises Adesanya's Jiu-Jitsu skills

Israel Adesanya and Robert Whittaker have faced each other twice in the past. On both occassions, Adesanya emerged victorious. Now, 'The Reaper' and 'The Last Stylebender' have begun training together.

Speaking with Ariel Helwani, Whittaker praised Adesanya’s underrated jiu-jitsu skills, emphasizing how impressive they are despite the lack of recognition from fans and analysts. ‘The Reaper’ said:

"Maybe his jiu-jitsu, it's much better than people give him credit for. I'm looking forward to see how that translates into his next fight. I don't know how he's kept it on the down low for so long. It's much better than everybody gives him credit for.”

Check out Robert Whittaker’s comments below (8:55):