"I ain't Kanye West" - Israel Adesanya explains why he likes to keep personal things "guarded"

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Israel Adesanya (left), Kanye West (right) [Image credit: Getty]

When Israel Adesanya broke into the world of combat sports, he knew that he was signing up for a career that guarantees no privacy from the outside world. However, that has not stopped Adesanya from attaining the opposite as pertains to his personal life.

Appearing on an episode of The Diary Of A CEO podcast, the UFC middleweight champion explained why he likes to keep his personal life away from the public eye, unlike some pop culture figures. Here's what 'The Last Stylebender' said:

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"I think diving into my personal life a little bit, anything that has to do with like family, relationships, I like to keep those things guarded. And I think people kind of get, my love life's not for sale, my family's not for sale. Those kind of things, like I said, I won't sell for the consumption of people to watch. I'm not the Kardashians, I ain't Kanye West putting all my business out there. I keep those things guarded so I think people kind of respect that. I understand that they don't push too much."

Watch Israel Adesanya answer some hard-hitting questions on The Diary Of A CEO below:

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Israel Adesanya on how he deals with fame

Israel Adesanya is one of the most recognized and talked about MMA fighters in the world today. With recognition comes a lot of fame, but that's not something 'The Last Stylebender' desires.

On the same episode of the podcast, the middleweight champion revealed that he does not seek the fame that accompanies a successful MMA career, although he enjoys the perks that come with it:

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"I've always said like, 'F*** the fame.' But I love the perks, I love the perks of fame but I don't like being famous."

Speaking of perks, Adesanya recently inked one of the most lucrative contracts in UFC history. While he hasn't discussed details about the new mega-deal, reports suggest it makes him one of the highest paid fighters in the sport of MMA.

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However, his new deal comes around a time when a number of other prominent UFC fighters like Francis Ngannou are involved in contract disputes with the company.

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