UFC star Israel Adesanya demonstrated his kicking power by destroying the 'Dragon Punch' machine with one savage kick.

The middleweight champion is set to defend his title this weekend at UFC 271 when he takes on Robert Whittaker in the main event.

The Nigerian-born fighter has been fiercely dominant in the middleweight division, winning all of his bouts, including three successful defences of his crown.

Ahead of his fourth title defence against Whittaker, the man he beat to claim the title, he has left fans in awe with a showcase of what he is capable of with his leg power.

Tasked with facing the ‘Dragon Punch’ machine, Adesanya smashed it.

With his first kick, he recorded an impressive score of 9438 while his second attempt left the machine in need of repair.

He booted it with such power that he managed to rearrange the punch bag from its support.  

The Last Stylebender’s only defeat thus far came in his maiden light heavyweight bout against Jan Błachowicz for the championship.

He soon bounced back from that loss by defending his middleweight strap in a victory over Marvin Vettori at UFC 263.

Ahead of his first fight of this year in Houston, Texas, Adesanya has revealed what his plans are for 2022 and has admitted that he got ‘bored’ in his previous two fights.

"I want to get three this year, " the 32-year-old said via MMA Fighting. "At least three fights this year. I’m not happy.

"To be honest, I feel last year was the most lacklustre year in my UFC career. It was just two fights. 

GLENDALE, ARIZONA - JUNE 12: Israel Adesanya of Nigeria reacts after defeating Marvin Vettori of Italy by unanimous decision to win the middleweight championship during their UFC 263 at Gila River Arena on June 12, 2021 in Glendale, Arizona.

"I went up to light heavyweight, failed that side mission, and I defended my belt at middleweight. There’s a point in that [Vettori] fight I got bored.

“My [striking] coach Twista was like, 'Don’t get bored, Izzy. Stay in it.' 

"I remember he said that and I was like, 'Oh yeah, true.' He could notice. I don’t know what he saw, but he just noticed I switched off.

I was just like, 'Meh, this isn’t fun anymore because the guy wasn’t trying to win, he was trying to survive.

I was like, ‘I’m the one with the belt, you’re being super defensive.’"