Is Israel Adesanya the new Conor McGregor? How the Nigeria-born UFC champ went from bullied teenager to millionaire MMA fighter sponsored by Puma
Israel Adesanya’s hype has been compared to that of Conor McGregor and, with his 20-0 winning streak, he is considered to be one of the best MMA (mixed martial arts) fighters in the world. Now the Nigerian-born fighter is moving to the light heavyweight division for a title fight against Jan Blachowicz in UFC 259 on March 6.
In pre-interviews with ESPN, Adesanya said he hasn’t done anything different in preparation for the fight, explaining his body knew what it had to do – just “flex”.
The reigning UFC middleweight champ has taken the MMA world by storm. From his dynamic style of fighting to his superb dance skills, “The Last Stylebender” has become a global star, so here’s what you need to know about the man who has captivated MMA fans around the world.
He was bullied
Born in Lagos, Nigeria, Adesanya was 12 years old when his parents emigrated to New Zealand because they wanted their children to have a better education. In an interview with ESPN MMA, the fighter said he was “picked on” and was “cast away” at school because he was different. He said this was one of the most difficult parts of moving between countries.
He loves to bust a move
If he wasn’t an MMA fighter, he would be a dancer. Adesanya is notorious for entering the ring and showing off his dance moves. In the ESPN interview, he said it was during a school talent competition that he showed off his dance skills for the first time, earning him the respect of his peers.
He got into MMA as a teenager
Despite his dancing making him more popular, he was still bullied. At 18, he decided to take matters into his own hands and took up kick-boxing and MMA. Even though he knew nothing about fighting, he quickly became dominant in the ring and in 2017 he signed with the UFC.
His big UFC moment
Despite his stellar record, the UFC denied him the chance to do a choreographed dance entrance. But at UFC 243, with Adesanya defending a 18-0 record, UFC boss Dana White let him have the chance to merge his two worlds – dancing and fighting. The moment has been etched into UFC history and cemented Adesanya’s name with fans.
A historic Puma deal pumped up his net worth
Adesanya made history when he became the first ever MMA fighter to be sponsored by Puma. The multi-year apparel and shoe deal will see his face used in global marketing campaigns. Although the value of the deal is not known, ESPN suggests it is unlikely to be less than seven figures.
The deal has led his net worth to increase drastically, with it now being estimated to be around US$2 million, according to sporting pundits like Sportekz and One37pm.
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- Dubbed ‘The Last Stylebender’ – which is also the basis of his Instagram handle – UFC president Dana White let him show off his dance moves at UFC 243
- He took up kick-boxing and MMA to defend himself when he was young, and now he’s going up against Jan Blachowicz after moving to the light heavyweight division