Israel Adesanya reveals inspiration behind the championship ring he got gifted after dismantling Robert Whittaker 

UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya has provided fans with some insight into his iconic championship ring.

'The Last Stylebender' is undefeated at middleweight (12-0) and continued that streak when he defeated Jared Cannonier at UFC 276 last weekend. The 32-year-old extended his title defensive streak to five as he continues to chase the record held by consensus middleweight GOAT Anderson Silva (10).

Speaking to GQ sports, the 185lb king revealed details about his championship ring, which he was gifted after defeating Robert Whittaker for the first time and unifiying the middleweight titles.

"My championship ring. The spiral was inspired by my naval tattoo, which is from two of my favourites animes, Avatar and Naruto... I feel like this ring is powerful. I got gifted this ring after my dismantling of Robert Whittaker at UFC 243, in front of 57,127 people. It was a magical moment for me, one of the greatest moments in my career. Still to this date, still the biggest attendance in UFC history."

Catch the full interview below:

Although Israel Adesanya's performance at UFC 276 certainly wasn't his best, it will likely go down in UFC history due to his entrance. The iconic gong of WWE's The Undertaker theme surrounded the T-Mobile Arena as Adesanya walked to the cage dressed as 'The Deadman', holding an urn engraved with Cannonier's name.

'The Last Stylebender' is expected to defend his title against longtime rival Alex Pereira next. 'Poatan' stunned fans when he knocked out No.4-ranked contender Sean Strickland at UFC 276.

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Henry Cejudo wasn't a fan of Israel Adesanya's performance at UFC 276

It wasn't just MMA fans who were disappointed at UFC 276's lackluster main event. While most agreed that they expected a more aggressive approach from challenger Cannonier, fans hoped that Adesanya would push for spectacular finish.

After the champion received criticism from Hollywood actor Chris Pratt, the returning Henry Cejudo has also jumped on the bandwagon of disappointment with Israel Adesanya.

On the latest episode of The Triple C & The Schmo Show, Cejudo gave his thoughts on UFC 276's main event.

“It’s crazy when you come out to freaking, to The Undertaker [theme song], and you didn’t put on a performance, man, on Saturday night. It was lame, dude. You gotta start giving, main events are special, dude. If he’s not performing, UFC, stop pushing this dude. He’s a decision-maker.”

Israel Adesanya's last finish came in 2020 when he successfully defended his middleweight title against Paulo Costa via TKO. 'The Last Stylebender' has fought 12 times in the UFC, winning eight by decision and four by KO/TKO.

After the decision victory over Jared Cannonier at UFC 276, it now means Adesanya has the second lowest finish-rate of all current UFC champions, behind only strawweight champion Carla Esparza.

Catch Henry Cejudo's UFC 276 reaction here: