Biography

Israel Mobolaji Odunayo Oluwafemi Temitayo Owolabi Adesanya (born  22 July 1989), addressed as Israel Adesanya, is a professional mixed martial artist, kickboxer, and former boxer. He is of Nigerian ancestry and was born in New Zealand. He has won numerous titles in each of these three sports. 

He is presently the UFC Middleweight Champion and a mixed martial artist with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). 

He has previously challenged for the Glory Middleweight Championship title in kickboxing. He is third in the UFC men’s pound-for-pound rankings as of April 12, 2022. 

One of the most effective attackers in mixed martial arts is commonly recognized as Israel Adesanya.

Israel Adesanya
Israel Adesanya: History • Bio • Photo
Wiki Facts & About Data
Full Name:	Israel Mobolaji Odunayo Oluwafemi Temitayo Owolabi Adesanya
Stage Name:	Israel Adesanya
Born:	22 July 1989 (age 34 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 & Education

Israel Adesanya was the oldest of five children born in Lagos, Nigeria. He was born on the 22nd Of July 1989 in Lagos, Nigeria. He is a Nigerian who has 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He was a student at Chrisland School in Opebi and a member of the Taekwondo club after school until his mother had him withdrawn owing to an injury. 

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Israel Adesanya spent ten months in Ghana in 1999 with his family. Still, 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 kids to acquire a well-regarded higher education.

While still in high school, Israel Adesanya had no interest in sports; instead, he was drawn to Japanese anime like Death Note and the manga series Naruto. He encountered bullying in high school, and he blames his later decision to study martial arts for the abuse he endured. 

Israel Adesanya enrolled in a Bachelor of Science in Computer Design program at the Universal College of Learning in Whanganui after finishing high school. He began training in kickboxing at the age of 18 after watching the Muay Thai movie Ong-Bak, which served as his inspiration. 

Israel Adesanya decided to stop studying two years later to pursue a career in kickboxing. He compiled a 32-0 amateur record before becoming professional and competing in China.

He went to Auckland, New Zealand, where he started kickboxing as a trainee under Eugene Bareman alongside future UFC fighters like Dan Hooker and Kai Kara-France, and current UFC Featherweight Champion Alexander Volkanovski. 

He learned how to wrestle under the guidance of the Romanian-New Zealander Andrei Paulet.

He is a multilingual personality. Israel Adesanya speaks English, Nigerian Pidgin, and Yoruba fluently.

Career

2012 saw Israel Adesanya make his professional debut, defeating James Griffiths via 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 via TKO. 

He eventually compiled an 8-0 record, largely competing in Chinese and Oceanian circuits. During this time, he defeated Melvin Guillard via first-round TKO to win the AFC Middleweight Belt at Australia Fighting Championship 20 and Stuart Dare via first-round KO to win the Hex Fight Series Middleweight championship.

Israel Adesanya‘s deal with the UFC was revealed to have been inked in December 2017. At UFC 221 on February 11, 2018, he faced Rob Wilkinson in his professional debut. In the second round, he obtained a technical knockout victory. The next fight between Israel Adesanya and Marvin Vettori occurred on April 14, 2018, at UFC on Fox 29. He prevailed in a close decision. 

The Ultimate Fighter 27 Finale was held on July 6, 2018, when he fought Brad Tavares. He prevailed by unanimous judgment in the one-sided contest. He received his second Performance of the Night award thanks to this triumph. 

At UFC 230, Israel Adesanya competed against Derek Brunson on November 3, 2018. He is technically in the first round. He was given the Performance of the Night prize a third time with this triumph. On February 10, 2019, Israel Adesanya fought Anderson Silva, a former UFC Middleweight Champion, in what was originally planned to be the co-main event of UFC 234. 

He prevailed by unanimous judgment in the match. Both contestants won the Fight of the Night prize for this battle. 

On April 13, 2019, in the co-main event of UFC 236, Israel Adesanya competed against Kelvin Gastelum for the interim UFC Middleweight Championship. He prevailed in the competitive match by unanimous decision, with all three judges awarding him a 48-46 victory.

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The contest was nominated because it was widely recognized as the best contest of the year. On October 6, 2019, Israel Adesanya took on Robert Whittaker in the main event of UFC 243 for the UFC Middleweight Championship. He won the fight by knockout in the second round, following a knockdown in the last seconds of the first.

He now has four Performance of the Night awards with this triumph. On March 7, 2020, at UFC 248, Yoel Romero, a three-time UFC championship challenger, was his next opponent. He successfully defended his championship for the first time after winning the fight unanimously with scores of 48-47, 48-47, and 49-46. 

Due to both combatants’ lack of activity led to a generally dull fight in which neither boxer could muster much offense, so many spectators and analysts felt let down.

Israel Adesanya competed against fellow unbeaten fighter Paulo Costa on September 27, 2020, at UFC 253. In 2009, this was the first title battle between two male mixed martial artists who had never lost. In the second round, he obtained a technical knockout victory. He now has five Performance of the Night awards with this triumph. 

Following the fight, Israel Adesanya‘s right-breast gynecomastia raised questions about possible PED use, but he insisted his marijuana use caused it. After the fight, he engaged in anal intercourse with Paulo Costa while on the ground. 

On March 6, 2021, he competed at a higher weight class and won the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship by defeating Jan Bachowicz.

Israel Adesanya was five pounds shy of the light heavyweight limit during the weigh-ins at 200 pounds. 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 faced Marvin Vettori once more for the UFC Middleweight Championship in the main event of UFC 263. 

All three judges gave the fight a unanimous 50-45 score for Israel Adesanya, who dominated most of the contest. On February 12, 2022, at UFC 271, he and Robert Whittaker engaged in a rematch for the UFC Middleweight Championship. By unanimous vote, he prevailed in the rematch with scores of 48-47, 48-47, and 49-46. 

On July 2, 2022, Israel Adesanya competed against Jared Cannonier at UFC 276. His victory earned him the first-place prize of the Crypto.com Fan Bonus of the Night, which was worth US$30,000 in bitcoin. 

Personal Life

Israel Adesanya often participated in dance contests all around New Zealand before taking up fighting. He demonstrated his love of dance at UFC 243 by choreographing a walkout. 

He has acknowledged that he plans to launch an anime production firm after he stops fighting. The anime-influenced animation series Avatar: The Last Airbender is referenced in his moniker, The Last Stylebender.

On his forearm, Israel Adesanya has a tattoo of Toph Beifong, one of the main characters from the program. He signed a sponsorship agreement with Puma in September 2020, making him 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 believed to be an Australian Instagram model, Lottie Powdrell. He was once rumored to be dating Margot Robbie. He has no married wife or child.

Net Worth

According to Celebrity Net Worth, Israel Adesanya has a net worth of US$4 million.

Compared to other UFC celebrities, Francis Ngannou has a net worth of US$5 million, while Jon Jones has a net worth of roughly US$3 million. Conor McGregor has a US$200 million net worth. 

Israel Adesanya has earned approximately US$3,910,500 in his career, according to The Sports Daily.

Social Media

• Instagram: @stylebender
• Twitter: @stylebender