"I was never really violent" - Israel Adesanya reveals how he got into fighting and the meagre sum he made for his first international fight
In a recent interview with GQ Sports, UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya revealed that fighting was never on his radar.
Recalling the initial days of his life, 'The Last Stylebender' said,
"I was never really violent. I got picked on a lot. So eventually I realised later on that I should learn how to defend myself. When I first told my parents, I wanted to fight, I knew what the response was going to be but eventually when they saw the money rolling in and I was able to make a living off this, then they were like, oh, he's alright."
Israel Adesanya admitted that before getting a call from the UFC, he was broke as he had blown all his money from his previous fights.
"My first international fight, I think I made just over a grand. When I first got the call from the UFC, I was broke just before then. I was just like, ah I want to spend my money, I want to enjoy my money. And yeah, I blew it all. I think my first fight I made over a hundred grand because I had a performance of the night bonus."
'The Last Stylebender' revealed that he allegedly earned his first million fighting against Derek Brunson and Anderson Silva. Israel also mentioned that he earned a large slice of the pie when he became the middleweight champion and defended it three times in a row.
Watch the full interview of Israel Adesanya with GQ Sports here:
Israel Adesanya vs. Robert Whittaker 2 postponed due to COVID-19 restrictions
Israel Adesanya vs. Robert Whittaker 2 was supposed to take place on November 6, 2021 at Madison Square Garden in New York at UFC 268. However, the UFC was forced to change its plans till 2022 due to COVID-19 restrictions.
UFC targeting Israel Adesanya vs. Robert Whittaker 2 for January, per Dana White bloodyelbow.com/2021/9/17/2267…
Due to the global pandemic, New Zealand and Australia have issued restrictive travel bans. Even though it has been effective in decreasing infection rates, it has also effectively isolated the countries from the rest of the world.
In terms of UFC 268, a welterweight title rematch between Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington is still on the cards.