What is Israel Adesanya's religion?
Israel Adesanya was born into a Christian family in 1989 in Lagos, Nigeria. However, according to Childhood Biography, he doesn't practice any religion. Adesanya, on numerous occasions, has posted tweets that suggest his skepticism about Christianity.
Childhood Biography reported that although Israel Adesanya is not a believer in God, he appreciates the teachings of different religions.
"I don't practice any religion or follow any code but my own. I have the emotional capacity to appreciate the artistry and many other things from different religions, cultures, cliques, etc," said Adesanya.
Following the unfortunate Christchurch mosque shooting in 2019, Adesanya was asked if he followed Islam. The UFC middleweight champion admitted that he did explore other religions just to learn about them.
"Born into a Christian household, but had an idea for a while to visit other religions to just catch a vibe and learn something from a different or the same perspective," Adesanya responded to a fan via Instagram.
Despite not practicing any religion, Israel Adesanya seems to have grasped a lesson or two about Christianity. After his split decision win over Marvin Vettori in 2018, the 31-year-old addressed his performance - which he thought was disappointing - by stating:
"Even Jesus Christ, he was the greatest guy of all time; he got crucified. I welcome all the criticism. Because it’s good for me. I criticize myself."
Israel Adesanya reclaims UFC title after defeating Alex Pereira at UFC 287
The 33-year-old took on long-time rival Alex Pereira at UFC 287 in hopes of reclaiming his title. Pereira defeated 'The Last Stylebender' at UFC 281, which was also Adesanya's first middleweight loss of his MMA career.
However, Adesanya exorcized some of his demons against his Brazilian rival. 'Poatan' had a 3-0 record against the 33-year-old, with two wins coming in kickboxing.
#UFC287ADESANYA GETS ONE BACK! HE KNOCKS PEREIRA OUT COLD! 😱 #UFC287 https://t.co/P01reBg6je
Adesanya knocked out Pereira in the second round and even 'shot' arrows at his opponent. The 33-year-old also taunted Pereira's son after the win, and the new champion let out a lot of emotion during the post-fight interview.
It doesn't get more inspirational than THIS 🙌
Pure joy for @Stylebender #UFC287 https://t.co/fVhL9HyYxH
While the pair had a heated rivalry, they did embrace backstage after the fight. Adesanya and Pereira exchanged some words too, but it is unlikely the pair will meet for a third time in the octagon anytime soon.