By The Numbers: Israel Adesanya

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UFC 230 is now available on Amazon Prime.

On the heels of a breakout victory over Brad Tavares, the unbeaten Israel Adesanya will see an increase in his degree of difficulty when he meets Derek Brunson in a middleweight showcase at UFC 230 on Saturday at Madison Square Garden in New York. “The Last Stylebender” has finished all three of his opponents since he joined the Ultimate Fighting Championship roster in February.

As the Nigerian-born Kiwi prepares for his latest challenger, here are some of the numbers that have come to define him:

18: Years of age when he started his formal training in kickboxing. Watching the Thai movie “Ong Bak” spurred Adesanya’s decision, and to this day, flashy but accurate striking remains the primary weapon in his arsenal.

81: Professional kickboxing fights on his resume. Adesanya compiled a 75-5-1 record, showcasing his skills in organizations like Glory, King in the Ring and Wu Lin Feng.

3: Tournament Titles won in King in the Ring -- the most in the promotion’s history. Adesanya was the King in the Ring 86 Cruiserweights II and King in the Ring 86 Cruiserweights III tournament champion, as well as the King in the Ring 100 Heavyweights III tournament champion.

3: Rounds needed to become the Glory middleweight champion. Adesanya defeated Yousri Belgaroui by split decision.

7: Professional boxing fights to his credit. Adesanya has pieced together a 6-1 record, with all seven of the bouts having taken place in New Zealand.

11: Wins in the bank as a mixed martial artist before the UFC took notice. Adesansya fought in a number of promotions in New Zealand, Australia and China.

1: Round needed to defeat Melvin Guillard. Adesanya faced the UFC veteran at Australian Fighting Championship 20 on July 28, 2017, and knocked him senseless with 11 seconds left in the opening stanza. The victory brought with it the AFC middleweight championship.

2: MMA titles on his mantle. Apart from the AFC middleweight crown, Adesanya also captured the Hex Fighting Series middleweight championship with a head kick knockout of Stuart Dare in November 2017.

1: Main event assignment in the UFC. Adesanya faced the aforementioned Tavares in “The Ultimate Fighter 27” Finale headliner. He embraced the spotlight with a lopsided unanimous decision over the Hawaiian.

2: “Performance of the Night” awards won since arriving in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Adesanya has made the most of his opportunities. He picked up post-fight bonuses against Tavares at “The Ultimate Fighter 27” Finale and Rob Wilkinson at UFC 221.

119: Significant strikes landed on Tavares, per FightMetric. Adesanya’s striking talents were on full display, as he dismantled the Xtreme Couture representative across five rounds. Tavares could only muster 40 significant strikes in return.

29: Years of age. Adesanya was born on July 22, 1989 in Lagos, Nigeria. In 2001, he moved to Whanganui, New Zealand, where he spent his formative years in MMA.

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