Israel Adesanya

Israel, "The Last Stylebender" Adesanya, is a former two-time UFC middleweight champion with a professional record of 24 wins and 4 losses. Adesanya is also a former Glory Kickboxer.

Early Life and Career

Israel Mobolaji Adesanya (born July 22, 1989) is a Nigerian-New Zealander professional Mixed Martial Artist. Adesanya was born in Lagos, Nigeria, and started training in Kickboxing at 18 after watching the movie Ong Bak: Muay Thai Warrior. Adesanya relocated to Auckland, New Zealand, at age 21 and joined City Kickboxing.

Adesanya made his professional MMA debut in 2012 and went on an 11-fight winning streak which included him winning the AFC Middleweight Championship and the Hex Fight Series Middleweight Championship before signing with the UFC.

Israel Adesanya Personal Life

Israel Adesanya, a multifaceted individual beyond his fighting career, is fluent in Yoruba, Nigerian Pidgin, and English. Before mixed martial arts, he was actively involved in dancing all over New Zealand, and he showed this off at UFC 243 in a choreographed walkout. Adesanya is also a huge fan of anime, and on retirement, he wants to open an anime production company.

Adesanya's nickname "The Last Stylebender" is a reference to the anime series Avatar: The Last Airbender, of which he is an avid fan. In September 2020 he became the first MMA athlete to sign a sponsor deal with Puma. The former two-time champ also has a documentary on his life, dubbed Stylebender, which had its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival in June 2023.

Israel Adesanya Social Media

Israel Adesanya has social media accounts on Instagram and X (formerly known as Twitter). Adesanya's Instagram page is filled with posts of his training montages, fight promotions, physique updates, sponsorship endorsements, and friends. He boasts an impressive follower count of over 9 million on Instagram and over 1.8 million on X.

Israel Adesanya Net Worth

As of January 2025, Israel Adesanya's net worth is approximately $4 million, primarily stemming from his successful career in the UFC and various endorsement agreements.

Also Read: Israel Adesanya Net Worth

Israel Adesanya Record

Israel Adesanya holds a professional MMA record of 24 wins and 4 losses (24-4-0). His victories include 16 knockouts and 8 decisions. Adesnaya's only losses are against Alex Pereira, Jan Blachowicz, Dricus du Plessis, and Sean Strickland.

Israel Adesanya UFC Career

Adesanya signed with the UFC in December 2017 and debuted against Rob Wilkinson at UFC 221, which he won in the 2nd round via TKO. He would continue his winning ways in the UFC. It would go on a 5-fight-win streak in the promotion and defeat the likes of Anderson Silva before getting a UFC Interim Middleweight Championship match against Kelvin Gastelum at UFC 236, which Adesanya would win via Unanimous Decision.

Adesanya fought Robert Whittaker at UFC 243 to unify the UFC Middleweight Championship and KO'ed Whittaker in the 2nd round to become the Undisputed UFC Middleweight Champion. 'The Last Stylebender's' first loss in MMA came at UFC 259, where he would face Jan Blachowicz for Blachowicz's UFC Light-Heavyweight Championship and lose via Unanimous Decision.

Adesanya returned to Middleweight to defend his title against Marvin Vettori at UFC 263. He would win the bout via Unanimous Decision and extend his title defense streak to 3 defenses. On November 12, 2022, Adesanya lost his UFC middleweight title to Alex Pereira via TKO at UFC 281.

At UFC 287, Adesanya defeated Alex Pereira via knockout and became the UFC middleweight champion. However, Adesanya failed to defend the title against Sean Strickland at UFC 293 as he was beaten by a unanimous decision. On his return, he contented for the title against Dricus du Plessis at UFC 305 and lost the fight via submission.

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Israel Adesanya Most Popular Fights

Israel Adesanya vs. Alex Pereira 2

In the highly anticipated rematch between Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira at UFC 287, Adesanya reclaimed his middleweight title with a stunning knockout victory in the second round. The fight began with Pereira pressuring Adesanya, similar to their previous encounters, but Adesanya maintained his composure, using sharp counters and precise strikes to keep Pereira at bay. The pivotal moment came late in the second round when Pereira cornered Adesanya against the cage, unleashing a barrage of strikes. However, Adesanya deftly evaded the assault and, in a swift counter, landed a devastating right hand that dropped Pereira. Adesanya followed up with another right hand on the ground, sealing his victory and reclaiming the middleweight championship.

Adesanya’s performance was a masterclass in timing and precision, and the win marked his first victory over Pereira after losing to him three times across kickboxing and MMA.

Israel Adesanya vs. Robert Whittaker

Robert Whittaker and Israel Adesanya faced each other in a Middleweight title unification bout at the main event of UFC 243. The Last Stylebender would dominate the fight and knock out Robert "The Reaper" Whittaker in the second round to become the Undisputed UFC Middleweight Champion and extend his UFC win streak to 7 wins.

Israel Adesanya vs Jan Blachowicz

Israel Adesanya fought Blachowicz at UFC 259 for the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship. The Last Stylebender wanted to become a 2-division champion; however, he lost the bout to the much bigger Blachowicz, who outstruck Adesanya and dominated him on the ground. Israel lost the bout via Unanimous Decision and would return to Middleweight to defend his title against Marvin Vettori at UFC 263.