Video: Jason Wilnis, who holds kickboxing win over Israel Adesanya, nets KO in MMA debut

Jason Wilnis, who defeated Israel Adesanya in a 2017 kickboxing bout, made a successful MMA debut on Sunday with a first-round knockout.

[autotag]Jason Wilnis[/autotag]’ first venture into MMA was a success.

Wilnis, a kickboxing veteran who holds a controversial unanimous decision win over Israel Adesanya from January 2017, put on the MMA gloves for his first professional bout on Sunday, and all went well.

Headlining Levels Fight League 2 in Amsterdam, Wilnis made relatively easy work of Erhan Okuroglu for a first-round knockout. After thwarting a number of takedown attempts, Wilnis slid a strong right hand though Okuroglu’s guard that put him in trouble, setting up a left hook that dropped him to the mat. It was stopped moments thereafter at the 4:08 mark of Round 1.

Check out the replay of Wilnis’ win below (via Twitter):

Although it didn’t come against particularly proven competition, Wilnis’ performance was a good start. The 30-year-old Dutchman told MMA Junkie pre-fight that he’s wholly committed to making a run in the sport, and after gaining experience hopes to land in the UFC or Bellator.

Despite having faced and beaten Adesanya under the GLORY banner, Wilnis said he’s not trying to use the kickboxing victory as a shortcut to success in MMA. He would like nothing more than to face Adesanya against in a cage, but won’t be chasing it.

“I’ve seen his rise through the UFC and I would be lying if I didn’t say that was somewhat of a motivation for me,” Wilnis said of Adesanya. “But my thoughts on MMA started before him. If I get to the UFC and our paths cross, I would fight him again for sure. However, I am on my own journey, and I would not say fighting him is a particular goal of mine.”