Israel Adesanya, the UFC's most famous champion, was made for the spotlight

What Israel Adesanya remembers the most about his UFC debut is how easy it all felt.

Not so much the fight itself, although Adesanya did dispatch Rob Wilkinson in clinical fashion in the second round of their fight in Perth, but what came after.

«What stood out for me was the flow after the fight, the way I was on the mic,» Adesanya said.

«It was like I was waiting for this.»

Adesanya, who talks smack nearly as well as he fights, rattled off a post-fight interview with Jon Anik where he called out the entire middleweight division and warned them there was «a new dog in the yard».

It sounded like a brag, but it's not bragging if you back it up. And what's the point of a blinding, singular talent pretending to be anything else?

That's how, four years to the day since that night in Perth, Adesanya will walk into his rematch with Robert Whittaker at UFC 271 as the UFC's most famous champion.

Conor McGregor is still the biggest name in the sport, but he hasn't fought for a title for many years now. Neither has Jon Jones or Nate Diaz. Kamaru Usman and Valentine Shevchenko are the only current champions with more title defences, but Adesanya has them covered in terms of star power.

Heavyweight king Francis Ngannou might run Adesanya close, but his lack of activity and clashes with the UFC brass have prevented him from blossoming as a star since he won the belt last year.

Everything about Adesanya – his social media savvy, his incredible striking skills, his ability to needle his opponents, his natural flair and charisma – have combined to make him one of the few UFC stars with genuine crossover appeal.

When you're talking about the best, they don't come any bigger than the Nigerian-Kiwi, and even though he calls himself «The Last