Israel Adesanya is a mixed martial arts fighter and one of the best in UFC and the world. He is ranked No 2 in the UFC men’s pound-for-pound rankings as of February 14, 2022, and is widely regarded as one of the best strikers in mixed martial arts according to many, especially after his win over Robert Whittaker.
The ‘Stylebender’ put on a striking masterclass and was never forced to come out of third gear as he won via unanimous decision, with all three judges scoring it 29 – 28 (28). He overtakes featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski who slipped back down as the Last Stylebender steps in.
After moving from Nigeria to New Zealand, Adesanya faced many instances of racial abuse and bullying.
In an interview, Israel Adesanya stated that he cried so much after getting bullied that he looked into the mirror and spoke uplifting words to himself.
According to the African Giant, his bullying experience ultimately influenced his decision to pursue martial arts especially after seeing the American animate show Avatar, which he rates as his all-time No.1, and from where he has taken his nickname, ‘The Last Stylebender’.
Israel Adesanya was just 18 years old when he started training in kickboxing after being inspired by the martial arts movie ” Ong-Bak”. The next three years of his life were spent fighting in China, before finally returning to New Zealand at 21.
Israel’s undefeated record at middleweight is intact, but he did lose a fight once when moving up in weight (Jump Weight) for an opportunity to challenge then champion Jan Blachowicz.
When Israel Adesanya faced off against UFC light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz, he had a lot to loose; his undefeated MMA record and long kick-boxing career before that showed just how good a fighter this guy really is, But it seems like everyone who fights him ends up on the losing end.
Isreal’s record shows how dogged this young fighter is, his Professional boxing record is an indication that he is constantly feared by opponents. Out of a total of 6 fights, Isreal won 5 with one knockout win and one loss.
In the Kickboxing category he fought a total of 80 fights and won 75 out of which 29 were knockouts, In the Mixed martial arts record, he fought a total of 23 and won 22 with 15 knockouts.
Isreal broke the record for the highest attendance in his match against Robert Whittaker at UFC 243 in Melbourne which saw an overwhelming crowd of 57,127 people at the Marvel stadium. Isreal Adesanya who most of the time has his Nigerian parents with him in most of his fights is sometimes described as dangerous and also holds titles like the Precision Master coined by Africa Giant for his Robotic fighting stance.
Adesanya has a map of Africa tattooed on his chest with a lion inside of it and Nigeria outlined. As a symbol that he is driven by a desire to inspire people to strive for better. “I just want people to know it’s possible. Whatever you want to get done, it’s possible,” he said. “You don’t have to be stuck where you are.” Israel Adesanya
