Israel Adesanya hilariously recounts hiding in the toilet fearing fans: "I hid in the after-party"
Israel Adesanya revealed that he hid in the bathroom during the after-party of his first UFC undisputed title win.
Earlier today, Joe Rogan released episode #164 of his combat sports podcast, 'JRE MMA Show.' The UFC commentator's latest guest was former middleweight world champion Adesanya, who discussed various topics about himself and other fighters.
During the two-and-a-half-hour conversation, Adesanya talked about times he's struggled to deal with fame. The 35-year-old shared this story about his 2019 after-party following his title-winning knockout against Robert Whittaker:
"My girl at the time had to drag me away from the after-party because I hid in the after-party, I hid in the toilet. I had a drink, put all the seats down, and just sat there."
Israel Adesanya also addressed previous accusations about him not appreciating his fans. The former UFC middleweight champion once had a bad reputation for getting angry when people approached him in public. Adesanya later explained he appreciates everyone's support but wants to maintain his privacy.
Watch Adesanya discuss not wanting to attend his UFC 243 after-party below (1:40:06):
What's next for Israel Adesanya in the UFC?
In April 2023, Israel Adesanya secured one of the biggest wins of his combat sports career. The middleweight legend knocked out Alex Pereira in the UFC 287 main event for the 185-pound world title, marking his first win against Pereira following three losses (one in MMA and two in kickboxing).
Since then, Adesanya has endured a rough patch in his UFC tenure due to back-to-back losses. Five months after defeating Pereira, 'The Last Stylebender' was dethroned from his middleweight title due to a shocking unanimous decision loss against Sean Strickland at UFC 293.
Nearly a year later, Adesanya attempted to take out the new middleweight champion, Dricus du Plessis. The Nigerian-born challenger seemed on track to take out Du Plessis before suddenly suffering a fourth-round submission loss.
Adesanya will likely return in the first half of 2025. While speaking to Joe Rogan, the 35-year-old voiced his interest in avenging his defeats against Du Plessis and Strickland, who could be fighting in their own world-title rematch next.