Israel Adesanya brings up depression after failed relationship and why he went off to China: "The girl I was with left me"
Former UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya has shed light on the personal and professional hardships he faced in the past. 'The Last Stylebender' notably addressed the end of his relationship with a female, which marked a tough phase of his life, and how he subsequently moved to China before returning to New Zealand and later entering the UFC.
The Nigerian-born New Zealand MMA stalwart initially gained attention owing to his accomplishments in the sport of kickboxing. He also ventured into boxing and eventually shifted his focus to competing in MMA and ascended to magnificent heights of glory in the UFC.
In an appearance on 10,000 Dreams with Fraser Grut, Adesanya harked back to the time he lived in an apartment with multiple flatmates, held a 9-5 job, and was simultaneously competing as a kickboxer. The striking savant then suggested that around 2013, a girl he was with parted ways with him. He indicated that to this day, he considers that phase his life's lowest point.
Israel Adesanya implied that his dominance in the New Zealand and Australian kickboxing circuits made it tough for him to get fights, which is why he started traveling back-and-forth to China to compete. After his relationship ended, he quit his job, moved to China, and accrued invaluable experience as a full-time kickboxer. Adesanya stated:
"I got to a point in 2013, that I just needed to make that move. You know life gets uncomfortable. Life gets uncomfortable in a certain point where it makes you have to make a change.
"So, 2013 was the year of my -- I think even still, now, my biggest depression, my biggest like, low. The girl I was with left me. Business I was trying to run up wasn't working, some f**king multi-level thing like scheme. What else? Just, life wasn't really 'lifing' at the time. And I just felt like I needed to make a change, I needed to make a move."
Check out Israel Adesanya's comments below (20:20):
MMA legend Israel Adesanya reveals current relationship status ahead of long-awaited potential UFC comeback
Apart from the 2013 relationship distress that Israel Adesanya opened up about, he appears to have faced a similar issue in recent years. In 2023, Adesanya publicly jibed at his ex-girlfriend, Charlotte Powdrell. Moreover, speculation abounded that a lawsuit had been filed against him.
Presently, 'The Last Stylebender' seems to have moved on from the same. Besides, the consensus is that Adesanya will likely return to the octagon and fight UFC middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis for the title, possibly at UFC 305 (August 2024) in Perth, Australia.
As for his current relationship status, Israel Adesanya addressed it around the 33:00-minute mark of his appearance on the 10,000 Dreams podcast. He quoted his late friend, Jamie Scott van der Kuijl, and asserted that his dream is to attain peace. Furthermore, noting that he's single, the 34-year-old said:
"My dream, for me, is to just attain peace. Attain peace. And that was a great quote by my friend, Jamie, rest in love. He always, that's his quote, his slogan, 'Attain peace.' He's like I'm going to train to attain peace. And even me. That's why I'm single now. I like peace. I love peace in my life."