2. Israel Adesanya
The vast majority of panelists had the current UFC middleweight kingpin second or third on their lists, myself included. To be fair, he is somewhat less dominant than the UFC hype machine would have you believe. Most people think Yoel Romero deserved the nod over him, and the Robert Whittaker rematch could have gone either way. Let us not forget that he lost decisively in his bid against then-light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz despite being heavily favored. However, that is what happens sometimes when a champion continually strives for greatness and fights the toughest opponents at every turn, and Adesanya has shown countless superlative performances in such situations. He has introduced a new style of striking that has become increasingly dominant at the highest levels of MMA, and he employed brilliant tactics in his knockout of bitter rival and fellow knockout artist Paulo Costa.
Adesanya also holds a first-round knockout of Derek Brunson, a second-round knockout of Whittaker and a decision over Kelvin Gastelum in one of the greatest fights of all-time. Plus, he defeated Marvin Vettori twice, easily decisioned Jared Cannonier and dominated Brad Tavares. It is a historic run, and Adesanya still is not finished yet.
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