The transcript details the journey of Israel Adesanya, a Nigerian-born fighter who moved to New Zealand and transitioned from dancing to kickboxing after being inspired by the movie "Ong-Bak." He trained at City Kickboxing, fought in China under the name "Heilong" (Black Dragon), and achieved a kickboxing record of 75-4 with 29 knockouts. Adesanya then shifted to MMA, where his striking skills made him a standout fighter. He won the King of the Ring three times, became the AFC Middleweight Champion, and promised to turn his interim belt into a UFC title. Adesanya faced his idol Anderson Silva in a striking-dominated match, won the interim title against Kelvin Gastelum in one of the greatest title fights, and became the undisputed middleweight champion by defeating Robert Whittaker. Despite a lackluster fight against Yoel Romero, Adesanya defeated Paulo Costa, maintaining his undefeated record and solidifying his status as one of the most exciting fighters in MMA.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text:
1. Israel Adesanya was born in Nigeria and moved to New Zealand with his family.
2. He started out as a dancer and was introduced to kickboxing through a movie called "Ong-bak".
3. Israel began training in kickboxing in 2009 and went on to have 81 fights, winning 75 and losing 6, with 29 knockouts.
4. He won the King of the Ring title three times, twice at cruiserweight and once at heavyweight.
5. Israel transitioned to MMA and made his debut in 2012.
6. He won his first 11 MMA fights, including a victory over James Griffiths.
7. Israel made his UFC debut in 2018 against Rob Wilkinson and won by knockout.
8. He went on to win his next four UFC fights, including victories over Derek Brunson and Anderson Silva.
9. Israel faced Kelvin Gastelum for the interim middleweight title and won by unanimous decision.
10. He then faced Robert Whittaker for the undisputed middleweight title and won by knockout.
11. Israel successfully defended his title against Yoel Romero and Paulo Costa.
12. At the time of the documentary, Israel had a record of 20-0 in MMA.