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Israel Adesanya is an MMA kickboxer with experience in almost all combat sports and excelled in them all.
Being one of the most well-known and wealthy martial artists is a result of his talent and growing profession.
The MMA boxer is a well-known figure with a huge reputation, which puts him amongst the greatest MMA fighters.
Adesanya's career has extended beyond the ring to encompass his lifestyle, and we examine significant details about the boxer.
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11:03 - 18.08.2024
Angry Nigerians blame Drake for Adesanya's loss to Dricus Du Plessis in UFC 305
Drake has been criticised by Nigerians who feel that he is to blame for Isreal Adesanya's defeat by Dricus du Plessis.
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10:13 - 18.08.2024
‘Dricus made him cry’- South Africans mock Nigerians after Adesanya’s loss to Du Plessis
Nigerians have become a laughingstock for South Africans after Isreal Adesanya lost his fight against Dricus du Plessis.
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All you need to know about Israel Adesanya, AKA ‘Stylebender’
Who is Israel Adesanya?
Israel Adesanya is a mixed martial artist who currently competes in the middleweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).
The fighter has won many championships and was the middleweight champion of the UFC twice.
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How old is Israel Adesanya?
Adesanya was born on 22nd of July 1989 and he is currently 35 years old based on current calculations.
Adesanya’s family
Adesanya was born in Lagos, Nigeria and is the eldest of his parents five children.
His mother's name is Taiwo and she is a nurse, while his father's name is Oluwafemi and he works as an accountant.
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Adesanya’s education
Adesanya went to Chrisland School in Opebi and joined the Taekwondo group after school until his mother took him out because of an injury.
He moved to Ghana with his family in 1999 for ten months, but at the age of ten, he resided in Rotorua, New Zealand, where he attended Rotorua Boys' High School.
During high school, Adesanya was more interested in Japanese anime like Death Note and the manga series Naruto than in any sports.
Adesanya enrolled in the Universal College of Learning in Whanganui to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Computer Design after graduating from high school.
Is Adesanya married?
As of this moment, writing this article about the Adesanya, there is no record of him getting engaged to any woman or having any marriage ceremony.
Who is Adesanya’s girlfriend?
According to reports, there are rumours that Israel Adesanya is dating Shana Evers, an Australian model.
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The couple recently shared a romantic picture on Instagram of themselves cuddling on a boat.
Adesanya’s career
Adesanya was tormented in high school, and he credits the abuse he endured for his eventual desire to study martial arts.
The British boxer Prince Naseem Hamed gave the mixed martial arts fighter his first taste of fighting and had a significant early effect on him.
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He began training in kickboxing at the age of eighteen, motivated by the Muay Thai movie Ong-Bak.
After two years, Adesanya decided to give up on his education to focus on his kickboxing career. He went on to win 32 matches as an amateur before going pro and competing in China.
Adesanya, then 21 years old, relocated to Auckland, New Zealand, where he trained in mixed martial arts at City Kickboxing under Eugene Bareman, who also taught future UFC fighters Dan Hooker, Kai Kara-France, and Alexander Volkanovski, the former UFC featherweight champion.
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Adesanya’s professional kickboxing career
In the opening bout of his seven-fight winning run, Adesanya defeated Tim Antonio via unanimous decision in May 2010.
He defeated Wu Lin Feng in nearly all of his subsequent six battles in China. Due to his winning run, he was invited to compete in the 2014 Kunlun Fight 80 kg event, which took place at Kunlun Fight 2.
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In the semifinal match, he was defeated by Simon Marcus via split decision after an additional round.
After that, Adesanya fought Filip Verlinden in Glory 15 to make his Glory debut. The battle was decided unanimously in favour of Verlinden.
Two years after their initial encounter, the two squared off again at Glory of Heroes 3, with Adesanya emerging victorious by unanimous decision.
Adesanya competed in the regional circuit's King in the Ring Cruiserweights II competition in New Zealand.
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He defeated Slava Alexeichik by unanimous decision in the quarterfinals, Pati Afoa by knockout in the semifinals, and Jamie Eades by knockout to win the title.
He competed in the 2015 Cruiserweights III event six months later. He defeated Kim Loudon and Mark Timms in technical knockouts in the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds, respectively, and went on to win the championship a second time by eliminating Pati Afoa in the first round.
Adesanya competed in the 2015 The Heavyweights III, going up in weight. Prior to taking on Jamie Eades in the championship round, he had defeated Dan Roberts via knockout in the semifinal and Nase Foai via TKO in the quarterfinal.
The 2014 Cruiserweight Tournament final was where the two had first faced off. The competition final was decided unanimously in favour of Adesanya.
Adesanya’s Glory Middleweight Championship
Adesanya defeated Yousri Belgaroui and Bogdan Stoica in five of his subsequent six career fights. However, he lost to Alex Pereira, who prevailed by unanimous decision.
Adesanya took part in the Glory Middleweight Contender Tournament in 2016. In the semifinals, he won the event by defeating Robert Thomas by unanimous decision. He then defeated Yousri Belgaroui in a split decision.
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Glory 37: Los Angeles was his Glory Middleweight Championship showdown against Jason Wilnis.
Despite the fact that the outcome was disputed, Wilnis was declared the winner by unanimous judgement.
Before switching to mixed martial arts, he had one more kickboxing contest at Glory of Heroes 7, when he faced Alex Pereira again.
After taking out Adesanya in the third round with a short left hook, Pereira prevailed via knockout.
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Adesanya’s professional MMA career
2012 saw Adesanya win his first professional match by TKO against James Griffiths. He defeated John Vake via TKO once more before pausing the mixed martial arts scene for two years.
In August 2015, he made his MMA comeback by defeating Song Kenan by TKO. He continued and compiled an 8-0 record, competing primarily in Chinese and Oceanian circuits.
During this run, he defeated Melvin Guillard in the first round of the Australia Fighting Championship 20 to win the AFC Middleweight Championship, and he also defeated Stuart Dare in the first round of the Hex Fight Series Middleweight Championship.
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Adesanya’s UFC career
It was revealed in December 2017 that Adesanya has committed to a deal with the UFC. He made his UFC 221 debut in February 2018 against Rob Wilkinson.
In the second round, he was technically knocked out to win the bout. He received the Performance of the Night bonus for this victory.
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In April 2018, Adesanya squared off against Marvin Vettori at the UFC on Fox 29. By a split decision, he prevailed in the match.
Then, in July 2018, Adesanya squared up against Brad Tavares at the Ultimate Fighter 27 Finale.
Adesanya prevailed by unanimous judgement in the one-sided match. He won his second Performance of the Night accolade with this victory.
On November 3, 2018, Adesanya and Derek Brunson squared off at UFC 230. Through first-round technical knockout, he emerged victorious. He won Performance of the Night for a record-tying third time.
In February 2019, Adesanya squared off against former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva in the main event of UFC 234, which was originally scheduled to serve as the co-main event.
The contest was decided unanimously in his favour. Both contestants took home the Fight of the Night trophy after this match.
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UFC Middleweight Championship
In April 2019, Adesanya and Kelvin Gastelum squared off for the interim UFC Middleweight Championship in the co-main event of UFC 236.
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All three judges scored the bout 48–46, giving him the unanimous decision victory in the back-and-forth contest.
He was awarded Fight of the Night for this battle. Most MMA news sites nominated the bout since it was commonly considered the finest fight of the year.
Then, in October 2019, Adesanya and Robert Whittaker squared off in the main event of UFC 243 for the UFC Middleweight Championship.
Adesanya won the bout via knockout in the second round following a knockdown in the final seconds of the first round.
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He won his fourth Performance of the Night prize with this victory. One of just four combat sports-related occasions, his and Kamaru Usman's victory as UFC champions was named by Premium Times in 2020 as the 29th most memorable moment in Nigerian sports history since 1960.
In March 2021, Adesanya headlined UFC 259 after moving up a weight class to challenge Jan Błachowicz for the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship.
It was his first loss in mixed martial arts, as he was defeated by unanimous decision with scores of 49–46, 49–45, and 49–45.
In November 2022, at UFC 281, Adesanya squared up against Alex Pereira, a kickboxer who had defeated him twice.
This was Adesanya's first middleweight defeat when he was technically knocked out in the fifth round of the bout and lost the belt.
In August 2024, at UFC 305 in Perth, Australia, Adesanya squared off against Dricus du Plessis for the UFC Middleweight Championship and lost.
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The first submission defeat of his career came via a face-crank submission in the fourth round of the match.
Israel Adesanya Net Worth
Israel Adesanya net worth until 2024 is estimated to be between $4 million and $6 million, depending on the source, following a 14-year career in combat sports and because of his prominence in the UFC.
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Israel Adesanya salary
Adesanya has come a long way from the young man who began earning the lowest salary a UFC fighter could earn.
Even though the contracts are largely private, a few leaks provide an idea of Adesanya's earnings over time.
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The 2020 bout against Paulo Costa was his first major contract, earning him $1.5 million in total from base pay, pay-per-view participation, performance bonuses, and sponsorships.
Adesanya also received $2 million for his UFC 305 bout against Dricus Du Plessis, regardless of the result of the match.
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Israel Adesanya sponsorship
Adesanya signed a sponsorship agreement with Puma in September 2020, making history as the first mixed martial arts athlete to do so.
Adesanya's life is the subject of the documentary Stylebender, which made its premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival in June 2023.
Adesanya’s extra income
The UFC middleweight champion makes additional money from different sources despite his primary employment in the cage. Among these is his fondness for video games.
Due to his enormous social media following, particularly on YouTube, he receives substantial income from his gaming broadcasts of several video games, which draw big crowds.
His account is further boosted by his endorsements. The first mixed martial arts fighter to endorse the sportswear company Puma is Adesanya.
Additionally, he is under contract with PRIME, the rehydration drink company owned by Jake and Logan Paul, and Engage, a provider of combat equipment.
Adesanya’s personal life
Adesanya speaks English, Yoruba, and Nigerian Pidgin fluently. Adesanya participated in dance contests on a regular basis in New Zealand before to taking up fighting. In a staged walkout at UFC 243, he showcased his love of dancing.
As an anime enthusiast, Adesanya has said that after he retires from fighting, he wants to launch an anime production studio.
"The Last Stylebender" is a reference to the anime-influenced animation series Avatar: The Last Airbender. Adesanya's forearm is tattooed with a picture of Toph Beifong, one of the show's key characters.
Adesanya, who also enjoys watching professional wrestling, once paused an interview to recognise Booker T.
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Adesanya’s social media
Israel Adesanya is currently on Instagram and his official account has over 40K followers, with a profile name called FreestyleBender. He also has an official YouTube channel called Stylebender.
Adesanya also has over 1.8 million followers on X with the account name Israel Adesanya @stylebender.
Meanwhile, Janine Tate net worth may not be as popular as her name and as her brothers, Andrew and Tristan Tate.
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