5 things Israel Adesanya has to do to become middleweight GOAT

#2. Israel Adesanya has to remain in the UFC

Israel Adesanya can set himself far and away from the rest of the middleweight landscape if he can remain with the company long enough. Given all of these celebrity boxing crossover fights, UFC fighters are leaving the promotion at an alarming rate in order to seek out more lucrative ventures.

Despite the temptation to go try his hand at boxing like Tyron Woodley, Israel Adesanya will need to stay put if he plans to emerge as the UFC's middleweight GOAT. Remaining unbeaten in the weight class he reigns over is a great start.

Outside of the UFC, it would be challenging for Israel Adesanya to make the claim as one of the GOATs. While the middleweight champion had a wildly successful kickboxing career, the accolades never brought him sufficient notoriety or fame. Of course, it only took a few UFC fights for the world to see that 'The Last Stylebender' was a legitimate threat to the 185-pound crown.

Despite all of the crossover boxing events, Israel Adesanya's best chance of becoming the middleweight GOAT is by staying in the UFC and racking up title defenses. Still, his flashy style and knack for mic skills could see him reach heights that GOATs before him have not yet reached.

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#1. Israel Adesanya has to remain who he is

Adesanya's performance against Jan Blachowicz exposed some defects in his wrestling game. It's important for 'The Last Stylebender' to continue doing what earned him his championship though.

During his last performance against Vettori, despite being taken down, Israel Adesanya still implored his striking fundamentals more effectively than in their first fight. Adesanya seems to be improving on his striking during clinch exchanges too. Overall, Adesanya will have to remain focused on his striking, despite the wrestling threats awaiting.

While 'The Italian Dream' was unable to capitalize on his hard-fought takedowns, the sequences are still cause for concern for a middleweight looking to cement himself as the GOAT. It seems increasingly likely that Adesanya will be tasked with facing another wrestler down the line. However, if his striking continues to evolve like it has, then wrestling chops may not come into play.

Make no mistake, Israel Adesanya has made steady improvements since his UFC debut in 2018. Judging by his wrestling in the first Vettori encounter, to the Brad Tavares fight, he made notable improvements in his wrestling capabilities in less than four months.

Israel Adesanya vs. Brad Tavares

The middleweight champion is making steady gains. After his most recent title defense at UFC 263 in June, it was clear he had tweaked his takedown defense to improve on the wrestling acumen that is catching up with his brilliant striking.