I wouldn't have had rent - Israel Adesanya says he was down to his last $300 before signing with the UFC
Israel Adesanya's story is certainly one of rags to riches.
In a recent interview with Brian J. Roberts of All Goats TV, Adesanya revealed that before making his UFC debut, he had to struggle with his finances to the extent that he didn't have enough to pay rent:
"I was just like check your phone, check your bank and I was like down to my last like 300... The company that I was working in China f***** me over cause I had seven fights left in my contract, each fight at that time was like $25,000. And they just stopped giving me fights... So, I went to the UFC. Shout out to Engage though, they came in the clutch at that time... I wouldn't have rent for either the next week or the week after."
Furthermore, 'The Last Stylebender' stated how his parents and friends supported him at his lowest and admitted that he keeps them close:
"This is one thing I loved about my parents, they always supported... And a friend like Corbin [one of Adesanya's close friends] as well, who was always in the clutch for me as well. People like that I keep around and I hold them dearly."
Check out Adesanya's full interaction with Brian J. Roberts below:
Israel Adesanya signs multi-fight lucrative deal with the UFC
Israel Adesanya signed a multi-fight deal prior to his title defense against Robert Whittaker at UFC 271. According to his management team at Paradigm Sports, Adesanya's new contract is “one of the most lucrative multi-fight deals in company history”. It makes him the second highest-paid fighter in the promotion.
Discussing his contract during the press conference at UFC 271, Adesanya said:
“Look, I love the UFC. I’ve looked at this company and wanted to be in this company for so long. I love that we’ve gotten to this agreement finally. I just signed for the actual bout this week... I’m glad we came to this agreement. I’m glad we have a good working relationship. Like I said, with everything happening right now, this will trickle down to the rest of the fighters and it’s only going to be great for the company. Just give it time."
Check out Israel Adesanya discussing his new UFC contract below:
'The Last Stylebender' recently defended the middleweight crown after he defeated Robert Whittaker in their rematch at UFC 271. Adesanya remains undefeated in the middleweight division.
Israel Adesanya's (@StyleBender) 11-fight UFC win streak at middleweight is now the 2nd longest win streak in 185 lb. history (Silva, 13). #UFC271