Israel Adesanya: The Last Stylebender Misses Out on ESPY Award Nomination

• Jon Jones, Leon Edwards, Islam Makhachev, and Amanda Nunes have all been nominated for an ESPY
• UFC Heavyweight champion, Jones has been nominated for the Best Comeback Athlete award
• Israel Adesanya wanted to be nominated for the Best Comeback Athlete or the Best UFC Fighter award

Four UFC fighters have been nominated for an award in the upcoming Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly (ESPY) awards, but Israel Adesanya is not one of them.

The Last Stylebender was hoping to be nominated for the Best Comeback Athlete, but will have to watch a rival possibly claim that title.

As noted by MMA Mania, Jon Jones earned a nomination in the category ahead of the Nigerian-born fighter.

Adesanya made a spectacular comeback this year as he beat Alex Pereira for the Middleweight title after initially losing the belt to Poatan.

Jones returned to the UFC after three years, winning the Heavyweight title in the process. Adesanya and Jones don’t see eye to eye, making it tougher for the Middleweight champ to stomach that his rival beat him to the nomination.

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In April this year, Adesanya shared a screenshot of a message with a friend, asking whether he was nominated for an ESPY and which categories he was keen on.

Not only was The Last Stylebender hoping to be nominated for Best Comeback, but he was also hoping to be named in the Best UFC Fighter category.

As noted by the Hollywood Reporter, Jones, Leon Edwards, Islam Makhachev, and Amanda Nunes have all been nominated in the Best UFC Fighter category. Edwards has also been nominated in the Best Championship Performance category.

Fans will vote for winners of the ESPYs, and the results will be announced during a live ceremony on July 12.

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Lionel Messi has been nominated in three categories for the 2023 ESPY Awards, a prize presented annually by American TV broadcaster ABC.

Messi’s stellar season saw him find the back of the net 38 times, including seven goals and three assists as he captained Argentina to the 2022 FIFA World Cup title.

He scored two goals in the final against defending champions France at the Lusail Iconic Stadium in Qatar, Sports Brief reported.