Israel Adesanya and Kelvin Gastelum Share Gratitude for UFC HOF Honor

“It takes two to tango and he’s a great dance partner.” — Israel Adesanya

Israel Adesanya and Kelvin Gastelum fought one of the greatest fights of the year back in 2019.

They were the co-main event for UFC 236 and the interim middleweight title was on the line. Before that, Adesanya made all his fights look easy, walking away virtually unscathed as he climbed the middleweight rankings, but Gastelum would not let that happen at UFC 236. Adesanya walked away the victor, by unanimous decision but not without almost being “ready to die” as he was famously recorded saying.

Adding their fight to this year’s UFC Hall of Fame Fight Wing came as a surprise to Adesanya when it was announced at UFC 312. He was in attendance for the event in Sydney, Australia and when the announcement came during the main card, Adesanya told that he was surprised to receive such an accolade.

“It was a surprise, definitely,” Adesanya said. “Watching it back, I’m surprised, I just kind of kept my composure, my emotions in check and I was just being present and being grateful for the moment.”

The honor was not for just Adesanya, Gastelum is part of that historic fight too. While he was not present for the…