Israel Adesanya Biography
Israel Mobolaji Odunayo Oluwafemi Temitayo Owolabi Adesanya (born 22 July 1989), known professionally as Israel Adesanya, is an MMA fighter, kickboxer, and former boxer. He was born in New Zealand to Nigerian parents. He has numerous titles in all three of these sports.
He is currently the UFC Middleweight Champion and a member of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).
In kickboxing, he previously competed for the Glory Middleweight Championship title. As of April 12, 2022, he is ranked third in the UFC men’s pound-for-pound rankings.
Israel Adesanya is widely regarded as one of the most effective attackers in MMA.
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| Full Name: | Israel Mobolaji Odunayo Oluwafemi Temitayo Owolabi Adesanya |
| Stage Name: | Israel Adesanya |
| Born: | 22 July 1989 (age 33 years old) |
| Place of Birth: | Lagos, Nigeria |
| State Of Origin: | Lagos State |
| Nationality: | Nigerian |
| Height: | 1.93 m |
| Parents: | Taiwo Adesanya, Femi Adesanya |
| Siblings: | N/A |
| Wife • Spouse: | Not Married |
| Girlfriend • Partner: | Lottie Powdrell (rum.), Margot Robbie |
| Children: | N/A |
| Occupation: | Mixed Martial Artist • Kickboxer |
| Net Worth: | US$4 million |
Early Life and Education
Israel Adesanya was born in Lagos, Nigeria, the oldest of five children. He was born on July 22, 1989, in Lagos, Nigeria. He is a Nigerian citizen with New Zealand citizenship.
Taiwo Adesanya, his mother, is a nurse, and Femi Adesanya, his father, is an accountant. He attended Chrisland School in Opebi and was a member of the Taekwondo club after school until his mother forced him to withdraw due to an injury.
In 1999, Israel Adesanya and his family spent ten months in Ghana. Nonetheless, when he was ten years old, his family relocated to Rotorua, New Zealand, where he attended Rotorua Boys’ High School because they wanted their children to receive a high-quality education.
Israel Adesanya was not interested in sports while still in high school; instead, he was drawn to Japanese anime such as Death Note and the manga series Naruto. He was bullied in high school, and he attributes the abuse to his later decision to study martial arts.
After graduating from high school, Israel Adesanya enrolled in a Bachelor of Science in Computer Design program at the Universal College of Learning in Whanganui. He started training in kickboxing at the age of 18 after being inspired by the Muay Thai film Ong-Bak.
Two years later, Israel Adesanya decided to discontinue his studies in order to pursue a career in kickboxing. Before turning professional and competing in China, he had a 32-0 amateur record.
He moved to Auckland, New Zealand, to train as a kickboxer under Eugene Bareman, alongside future UFC fighters Dan Hooker and Kai Kara-France, as well as current UFC Featherweight Champion Alexander Volkanovski.
He learned to wrestle under the tutelage of Andrei Paulet, a Romanian-New Zealander.
He is a multilingual individual. Israel Adesanya is fluent in English, Nigerian Pidgin, and Yoruba.
Career
In 2012, Israel Adesanya made his professional debut, defeating James Griffiths by TKO. He won by TKO over John Vake before taking a two-year break from MMA. He returned to MMA in August 2015 and defeated Song Kenan via TKO.
He eventually compiled an 8-0 record while competing primarily on the Chinese and Oceanian circuits. During this time, he defeated Melvin Guillard in the first round of Australia Fighting Championship 20 to win the AFC Middleweight Belt, and he defeated Stuart Dare in the first round of the Hex Fight Series Middleweight championship.
Israel Adesanya’s UFC contract was announced in December 2017. He made his professional debut against Rob Wilkinson at UFC 221 in Las Vegas on February 11, 2018. In the second round, he won by technical knockout. The next fight between Israel Adesanya and Marvin Vettori was scheduled for April 14, 2018, at UFC on Fox 29. He triumphed in a close decision.
On July 6, 2018, he competed in the Ultimate Fighter 27 Finale against Brad Tavares. He won the one-sided contest by unanimous decision. This victory brought him his second Performance of the Night award.
The competition was nominated because it was widely regarded as the best of the year. In the main event of UFC 243 on October 6, 2019, Israel Adesanya faced off against Robert Whittaker for the UFC Middleweight Championship. He won by knockout in the second round after being knocked down in the final seconds of the first.
With this victory, he now has four Performance of the Night awards. Yoel Romero, a three-time UFC championship challenger, was his next opponent at UFC 248 on March 7, 2020. He won the fight unanimously with scores of 48-47, 48-47, and 49-46 to successfully defend his championship for the first time.
Because both boxers’ lack of activity resulted in a generally dull fight in which neither boxer could muster much offense, many spectators and analysts were disappointed.
On September 27, 2020, Israel Adesanya faced off against fellow unbeaten fighter Paulo Costa at UFC 253. This was the first title fight in 2009 between two undefeated male MMA fighters. He won via technical knockout in the second round. With this victory, he now has five Performance of the Night awards.
Following the fight, Israel Adesanya’s right-breast gynecoma raised suspicions of PED use, but he insisted it was caused by marijuana use. He had an anal intercourse with Paulo Costa on the ground after the fight.
On March 6, 2021, he competed at a higher weight class and defeated Jan Bachowicz to win the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship.
During the weigh-ins, Israel Adesanya was five pounds shy of the light heavyweight limit at 200 pounds. He was defeated for the first time in mixed martial arts with scores of 49-46, 49-45, and 49-45.
In the main event of UFC 263, on June 12, 2021, he faced Marvin Vettori once more for the UFC Middleweight Championship.
Israel Adesanya, who dominated the majority of the fight, received a unanimous 50-45 decision from all three judges. He and Robert Whittaker fought for the UFC Middleweight Championship again on February 12, 2022, at UFC 271. He won the rematch by unanimous vote, with scores of 48-47, 48-47, and 49-46.
Israel Adesanya fought Jared Cannonier at UFC 276 on July 2, 2022. His victory earned him first place in the Crypto.com Fan Bonus of the Night, worth US$30,000 in bitcoin.
Personal Life
Before he started fighting, Israel Adesanya used to compete in dance competitions all over New Zealand. He showed his love of dance by choreographing a walkout at UFC 243.
He has stated that once he retires from fighting, he intends to start an anime production company. The Last Stylebender is a reference to the anime-influenced animation series Avatar: The Last Airbender.
Israel Adesanya has a tattoo of Toph Beifong, one of the show’s main characters, on his forearm. In September 2020, he signed a sponsorship agreement with Puma, making him the first mixed martial arts athlete to do so.
In January 2021, Israel Adesanya signed on as an ambassador for Stake.com.
Lottie Powdrell, an Australian Instagram model, is thought to be Israel Adesanya’s girlfriend. He was previously linked to Margot Robbie. He is not married and has no children.
Net Worth
Israel Adesanya has a net worth of $4 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth.
In comparison to other UFC celebrities, Francis Ngannou has a net worth of approximately US$5 million, while Jon Jones has a net worth of approximately US$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.
Israel Adesanya fought Jared Cannonier at UFC 276 on July 2, 2022. His victory earned him first place in the Crypto.com Fan Bonus of the Night, worth US$30,000 in bitcoin.
Social Media
- Instagram: @stylebender
- Twitter: @stylebender
Israel Adesanya Record
| W/L | Fighter | Kd | Str | Td | Sub | Event | Method | Round | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
next | Israel Adesanya Alex Pereira | Matchup | UFC 281: Adesanya vs. Pereira Nov. 12, 2022 | ||||||
win | Israel Adesanya Jared Cannonier | 0 0 | 116 90 | 0 0 | 0 0 | UFC 276: Adesanya vs. Cannonier
| U-DEC | 5 | 5:00 |
win | Israel Adesanya Robert Whittaker | 1 0 | 79 59 | 0 4 | 0 0 | UFC 271: Adesanya vs. Whittaker 2  Feb. 12, 2022 | U-DEC | 5 | 5:00 |
win | Israel Adesanya Marvin Vettori | 0 0 | 96 58 | 0 4 | 0 0 | UFC 263: Adesanya vs. Vettori 2
| U-DEC | 5 | 5:00 |
loss | Israel Adesanya Jan Blachowicz | 0 0 | 78 107 | 0 3 | 0 0 | UFC 259: Blachowicz vs. Adesanya
| U-DEC | 5 | 5:00 |
win | Israel Adesanya Paulo Costa | 1 0 | 55 12 | 0 0 | 0 0 | UFC 253: Adesanya vs. Costa
| KO/TKO Punch | 2 | 3:59 |
win | Israel Adesanya Yoel Romero | 0 0 | 48 40 | 0 0 | 0 0 | UFC 248: Adesanya vs. Romero
| U-DEC | 5 | 5:00 |
win | Israel Adesanya Robert Whittaker | 2 0 | 40 32 | 0 0 | 0 0 | UFC 243: Whittaker vs. Adesanya
| KO/TKO Punch | 2 | 3:33 |
win | Israel Adesanya Kelvin Gastelum | 4 0 | 109 91 | 0 1 | 2 0 | UFC 236: Holloway vs. Poirier 2
| U-DEC | 5 | 5:00 |
win | Israel Adesanya Anderson Silva | 0 0 | 65 31 | 0 0 | 0 0 | UFC 234: Adesanya vs. Silva Feb. 09, 2019 | U-DEC | 3 | 5:00 |
win | Israel Adesanya Derek Brunson | 3 0 | 13 3 | 0 0 | 0 0 | UFC 230: Cormier vs. Lewis Nov. 03, 2018 | KO/TKO Punches | 1 | 4:51 |
win | Israel Adesanya Brad Tavares | 0 0 | 119 40 | 0 1 | 1 0 | The Ultimate Fighter: Undefeated Finale Jul. 06, 2018 | U-DEC | 5 | 5:00 |
win | Israel Adesanya Marvin Vettori | 0 0 | 57 46 | 0 2 | 0 0 | UFC Fight Night: Poirier vs. Gaethje Apr. 14, 2018 | S-DEC | 3 | 5:00 |
win | Israel Adesanya Rob Wilkinson | 1 0 | 52 22 | 0 3 | 0 0 | UFC 221: Romero vs. Rockhold Feb. 10, 2018 | KO/TKO Punches | 2 | 3:37 |
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