Israel Adesanya is a professional mixed martial artist, boxer, and kickboxer. Originally from Nigeria, he is currently living in and fighting out of New Zealand. As of 2021, he is signed to fight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He is a champion in the middleweight division.
He is known for his striking. He fights in the middleweight division. For a time in 2021, he fought in the Light Heavyweight Division.
Player Bio and Personal Life
Adesanya was born on July 22, 1988, in Lagos, Nigeria. The eldest of five kids, he stands 6 feet 4 inches or 193 centimeters tall. His weight is listed at 185 lbs and he has a reach of 203 cm or 80 inches.
With his background in Kickboxing, he fights in MMA with a mixture and boxing and kickboxing techniques. Adesanya has a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He is being trained by Eugene Bareman and Andre Paulet.
He is a fan of anime and his nickname, The Last Stylebender is a reference to the anime show, Avatar: The Last Airbender.
He is signed with Puma and he is the first MMA fighter to do so.
Kickboxing
When his parents move the family to New Zealand when Adesanya was just 10, he did not initially show interest in sports. He was bullied in high school and he credits this as one of the main reasons he got interested in Martial Arts.
He started training in kickboxing when he was 18. Eventually, he would choose to forgo college and pursue a professional martial arts career.
As an amateur kickboxer, he gained a record of 32-0. As a professional, he fought in a total of 80 fights, winning 75 of them. Most of his professional fights were with Glory. In 2016, he became the Glory Middleweight Champion.
MMA
Switching to MMA, Adesanya debuted as a pro in 2012. At this time, he was playing for the Australia Fighting Championship. In 2017, he signed with UFC and he debuted with them in February 2018.
In April 2019, he won the Interim UFC Middleweight Championship. He would later win the championship from Robert Whittaker in October 2019. He successfully defended the title against Yoel Romero in March 2020 and against Paulo Costa in September.
His first MMA loss came at the hands of Jan Blanchowicz when Adesanya attempted the challenge for the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship.
Mixed Martial Arts Record
Total: 22
Wins: 21
Wins by Knockout: 15
Wins by Decision: 6
Losses: 1
Losses by Decision: 1
Professional Boxing Record
Total: 6
Wins: 5
Losses: 1
Kickboxing Record
Total: 80
Wins: 75
Wins by Knockout: 29
Losses: 5
Loss by Knockout: 1
