At a ceremony at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, USA, on Thursday (today), former two-time UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya will be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame, joining the promotion’s esteemed Fight Wing for his historic 2019 matchup with Kelvin Gastelum.
Along with other iconic fights like Forrest Griffin vs. Stephan Bonnar, Matt Hughes vs. Frank Trigg II, and Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen, the Nigerian-born New Zealander’s five-round interim middleweight title fight at UFC 236—which he won by unanimous decision—will be preserved as part of the 2025 class.
The UFC Foundation will receive all ticket sales revenues from the induction event, which honors the organization’s most significant contributors and landmark fights.
Adesanya expressed profound gratitude when the Hall of Fame selection was first revealed in February, telling The Mac Life, “Very grateful. I knew that was a special fight, a special moment in combat sports history.
“I even said on the camera when they had the cameras on me in the stadium, I said, ‘Hey Kelvin, that was us’ because it takes two to tango. That man can salsa.”
The bout featured one of the most memorable moments in UFC history when, before the fifth and final round, Adesanya declared he was prepared to die in the octagon during what many consider one of the greatest fights in the promotion’s history.
“That was the realest moment I think I’ve ever had in the cage,” Adesanya said.
“I meant every single word of it, and I returned the favour by trying to kill him. And he’s a hard man to kill. In the moment, I wasn’t scared, I wasn’t scared of death. I just thought, ‘if this is how I go out, this is how I go out — but I’m going to die trying.’”
UFC CEO Dana White previously lauded the contest as one of the greatest fights he’s ever witnessed, saying, “This was an absolute war with the interim title on the line. Congrats to Israel Adesanya and Kelvin Gastelum on a fight that will always be remembered!”
In a recent social media post, Gastelum—who is still competing in the UFC’s middleweight division—thought about the significance of their battle. He wrote on X, “This fight happened six years ago, & I still get so many callbacks and compliments and comments about this fight.”
“I find it funny ‘cause this feels like something that happens to old people, 13 years in this game, and people think I’m done. Far from it.”
Pioneers, Modern Era, Fight Wing, and Contributors are the four wings of the UFC Hall of Fame, which was created to honor the organization’s most important figures since its founding in 1993. Regardless of their future achievements in the sport, Adesanya and Gastelum’s participation in the Fight Wing will solidify their legacy in the UFC.
Joining Adesanya and Gastelum in the 2025 Hall of Fame class are MMA legends Robbie Lawler (Modern Wing), Amanda Nunes, and pioneer Vitor Belfort, among others cbssports.com+4mmafighting.com+4mmafighting.com+4.
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