Biography
Israel Mobolaji Odunayo Oluwafemi Temitayo Owolabi Adesanya (born 22 July 1989), known professionally as Israel Adesanya, is a professional mixed martial artist, kickboxer and former boxer. He is of Nigerian descent and was born in New Zealand. He has won multiple titles in all three sports.
He is currently the UFC Middleweight Champion and a mixed martial arts fighter for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).
He previously challenged for the Glory middleweight title in kickboxing. He is ranked third in the UFC men’s pound-for-pound rankings as of April 12, 2022.
One of the most effective striking fighters in mixed martial arts is commonly known as Israel Adesanya.
Nigerian-New Zealand mixed martial artist
Israel Adesanya |
|
|---|---|
 Israel Adesanya: History • Biography • Photos |
|
| Wiki Events & About Data | |
| Full name: | Israel Mobolaji Odunayo Oluwafemi Temitayo Owolabi Adesanya |
| Stage name: | Israel Adesanya |
| Born: | July 22, 1989 (age 35) |
| Place of birth: | Lagos, Nigeria |
| State of origin: | Lagos State |
| Nationality: | Nigerian |
| Height: | 1.93 minutes |
| Parents: | Taiwo Adesanya, Femi Adesanya |
| Siblings: | Do not have |
| Wife • Husband/wife: | Unmarried |
| Girlfriend • Partner: | Lottie Powdrell (rum.), Margot Robbie |
| The children: | Do not have |
| Job: | Mixed Martial Arts Fighter • Kickboxer |
| Net worth: | 4 million US dollars |
Early life and education
Israel Adesanya is the eldest of five children born in Lagos, Nigeria. He was born on July 22, 1989 in Lagos, Nigeria. He is a Nigerian with New Zealand citizenship.
His mother, Taiwo Adesanya, is a nurse, and his father, Femi Adesanya, is an accountant. He was a student at Chrisland School in Opebi and was a member of the after-school Taekwondo club until his mother withdrew him due to injury.
Israel Adesanya spent ten months in Ghana with his family in 1999. However, when he was ten years old, his family decided to live in Rotorua, New Zealand, where he attended Rotorua Boys’ High School because they wanted their son to have a highly regarded university education.
During high school, Israel Adesanya was not interested in sports; instead, he was drawn to Japanese anime such as Death Note and the manga series Naruto. He was bullied in high school, and he blames his later decision to study martial arts for the abuse he suffered.
Israel Adesanya enrolled in the Bachelor of Science in Computer Design at Universal College of Learning in Whanganui after graduating from high school. He started kickboxing at the age of 18 after watching the Muay Thai movie Ong-Bak, which inspired him.
Israel Adesanya decided to drop out of school two years later to pursue a kickboxing career. He compiled a 32-0 amateur record before turning professional and competing in China.
He traveled to Auckland, New Zealand, where he began training in kickboxing as a student of Eugene Bareman alongside future UFC fighters such as Dan Hooker and Kai Kara-France, and current UFC Featherweight Champion Alexander Volkanovski.
He studied wrestling under the guidance of Andrei Paulet, a Romanian of New Zealand origin.
He is multilingual. Israel Adesanya speaks English, Nigerian Pidgin and Yoruba fluently.
Career
In 2012, Israel Adesanya made his professional debut, defeating James Griffiths by TKO. Before taking a two-year break from mixed martial arts, he defeated John Vake by TKO. In August 2015, he returned to mixed martial arts, defeating Song Kenan by TKO.
He eventually went on to go 8-0, competing primarily in the China and Oceania divisions. During this time, he defeated Melvin Guillard by first-round TKO to win the AFC Middleweight Championship at the 20th Australian Fighting Championships and Stuart Dare by first-round KO to win the Hex Fight Series Middleweight Championship.
Israel Adesanya’s deal with the UFC was revealed to have been signed in December 2017. At UFC 221 on February 11, 2018, he faced Rob Wilkinson in his professional debut. He won by technical knockout in the second round. Israel Adesanya’s next fight was against Marvin Vettori on April 14, 2018, at UFC on Fox 29. He won a close decision.
The Ultimate Fighter 27 finale was held on July 6, 2018, when he fought Brad Tavares. He won by unanimous decision in a one-sided contest. He received the Performance of the Night award for his second win.
At UFC 230, Israel Adesanya fought Derek Brunson on November 3, 2018. He technically entered the first round. He was awarded his third Performance of the Night award for this victory. On February 10, 2019, Israel Adesanya fought Anderson Silva, the former UFC middleweight champion, in a fight that was originally scheduled to be the co-main event of UFC 234.
He won the fight by unanimous decision. Both contestants won Fight of the Night awards for the fight.
On April 13, 2019, in the co-main event of UFC 236, Israel Adesanya faced Kelvin Gastelum for the interim UFC middleweight championship. He won the contest by unanimous decision, with all three judges awarding him the victory 48–46.
The fight was nominated for being widely considered the best fight of the year. On October 6, 2019, Israel Adesanya fought Robert Whittaker in the main event of UFC 243 for the UFC middleweight championship. He won by knockout in the second round, after being knocked out in the final seconds of the first round.
He now has four Performance of the Night awards with this win. On March 7, 2020, at UFC 248, three-time UFC title challenger Yoel Romero was his next opponent. He successfully defended his title for the first time after winning by unanimous decision of 48-47, 48-47, 49-46.
With both fighters inactive, the match was quite boring as neither fighter could attack well, leaving many spectators and analysts feeling disappointed.
Israel Adesanya fought undefeated Paulo Costa on September 27, 2020 at UFC 253. In 2009, it was the first title fight between two unbeaten male mixed martial artists. He won by technical knockout in the second round. He now has five Performance of the Night awards with this win.
After the fight, Israel Adesanya’s gynecomastia on his right breast raised questions about possible PED use, but he insisted his marijuana use caused it. After the fight, he had anal sex with Paulo Costa while lying on the ground.
On March 6, 2021, he competed in a higher weight class and won the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship by defeating Jan Bachowicz.
Israel Adesanya came in five pounds short of the light heavyweight limit at the 200-pound weigh-in. With scores of 49-46, 49-45, and 49-45, he was defeated for the first time in mixed martial arts.
On June 12, 2021, he once again faced Marvin Vettori for the UFC middleweight championship in the main event of UFC 263.
All three judges scored the fight 50-45 in favor of Israel Adesanya, who dominated most of the contest. On February 12, 2022, at UFC 271, he and Robert Whittaker fought in a rematch for the UFC middleweight championship. He won the rematch by unanimous decision with scores of 48-47, 48-47, and 49-46.
On July 2, 2022, Israel Adesanya fought Jared Cannonier at UFC 276. His victory earned him the Crypto.com Fan Bonus of the Night first prize, worth $30,000 in bitcoin.
Personal life
Israel Adesanya often competes in dance competitions around New Zealand before he fights. He showed off his love of dance at UFC 243 by choreographing a walk.
He has admitted that he plans to start an anime production company after he stops fighting. The anime is influenced by the anime Avatar: The Last Airbender, which is a reference to his nickname, The Last Stylebender.
Israel Adesanya has a tattoo of Toph Beifong, one of the show’s main characters, on his forearm. He signed a sponsorship deal with Puma in September 2020, becoming the first mixed martial arts athlete to do so.
In January 2021, Israel Adesanya signed on as an ambassador for Stake.com.
Israel Adesanya’s girlfriend is said to be Australian Instagram model Lottie Powdrell. He was once rumored to be dating Margot Robbie. He is not married or has children.
Net worth
According to Celebrity Net Worth, Israel Adesanya has a net worth of $4 million.
Compared to other UFC celebrities, Francis Ngannou has a net worth of $5 million, while Jon Jones has a net worth of around $3 million. Conor McGregor has a net worth of $200 million.
According to The Sports Daily, Israel Adesanya has earned approximately $3,910,500 in his career.
Social media
- Instagram: @stylebender
- Twitter: @stylebender
