Israel Adesanya drops out of pound-for-pound list as Aljamain Sterling returns

Former UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya is out of the pound-for-pound list with Aljamain Sterling taking his place.

Over the course of the last six years plus, Israel Adesanya has been making a name for himself in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He has served as one of the most entertaining fighters of his generation, and it’s been phenomenal to watch him win the UFC middleweight title not once, but twice.

RELATED: Coach explains why Israel Adesanya’s defeat to Sean Strickland is a tougher pill to swallow than loss to Dricus du Plessis: “The Strickland loss, he’ll never get over”

Now, however, he’s at something of a crossroads. After losing the belt to Sean Strickland in shocking fashion, he took a year off from the sport. Then, ‘Stylebender’ opted to challenge the new champion Dricus du Plessis for the strap. Unfortunately for the former king, he fell short in a submission defeat to the South African superstar.

Now, as per the official UFC.com list, he is out of the pound-for-pound rankings for the first time in five years.

Aljo in, Izzy out.

For the first time since September 2nd, 2019 Israel Adesanya is not a part of the UFC P4P rankings. pic.twitter.com/rZZNhFDvT0

— MMA On Point (@OnPointMMA) September 10, 2024