Israel Adesanya facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Israel Adesanya |
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Adesanya at UFC 230 in 2018
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| Born | Israel Mobolaji Temitayo Odunayo Oluwafemi Owolabi Adesanya 22 July 1989 Lagos, Nigeria |
| Nickname(s) | The Last Stylebender |
| Residence | Auckland, New Zealand |
| Nationality | Nigerian New Zealander |
| Height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
| Weight | 185 lb (84 kg) |
| Division | Middleweight (2012–present) Light Heavyweight (2021) |
| Reach | 80 in (203 cm) |
| Style | Kickboxing |
| Fighting out of | Auckland, New Zealand |
| Team | City Kickboxing (2010–present) |
| Trainer | Eugene Bareman: Head coach Andrei Păuleț: Wrestling |
| Rank | Purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under André Galvão |
| Years active | 2010–present |
| Professional boxing record | |
| Total | 6 |
| Wins | 5 |
| By knockout | 1 |
| Losses | 1 |
| Kickboxing record | |
| Total | 80 |
| Wins | 75 |
| By knockout | 27 |
| Losses | 5 |
| By knockout | 1 |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 28 |
| Wins | 24 |
| By knockout | 16 |
| By decision | 8 |
| Losses | 4 |
| By knockout | 1 |
| By submission | 1 |
| By decision | 2 |
Israel Mobolaji Temitayo Odunayo Oluwafemi Owolabi Adesanya, born on July 22, 1989, is a famous professional fighter from Nigeria and New Zealand. He is known for his skills in mixed martial arts (MMA), kickboxing, and professional boxing. In the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), he was a two-time champion in the Middleweight division. He is currently ranked #2 in the UFC middleweight rankings.
Contents
Early Life and Training
Israel Adesanya was born in Lagos, Nigeria. He is the oldest of five children. His father, Oluwafemi, is an accountant, and his mother, Taiwo, is a nurse. When he was young, Israel went to Chrisland School in Nigeria. He even joined a Taekwondo club there.
In 1999, his family moved to Ghana for a short time. Then, at age 10, they settled in Rotorua, New Zealand. His parents wanted their children to get a good education. During high school at Rotorua Boys' High School, Israel was not very interested in sports. He loved Japanese anime shows like Death Note and the Naruto manga series. Israel was bullied in high school. He says this experience later made him want to learn martial arts.
After high school, Israel started studying Computer Design. But at 18, he began training in kickboxing. He was inspired by the Muay Thai movie Ong-Bak. Two years later, he decided to stop his studies. He wanted to become a professional kickboxer. He had an amazing amateur record of 32 wins and no losses.
At 21, Israel moved to Auckland, New Zealand. He started training in mixed martial arts at City Kickboxing. He trained with other future UFC stars like Dan Hooker and Alexander Volkanovski. He also trains in wrestling with Andrei Păuleț. Israel can speak three languages: Yoruba, Nigerian Pidgin, and English.
Kickboxing Career
Israel Adesanya started his professional kickboxing career in May 2010. He quickly won seven fights in a row. Many of these fights took place in China. In 2014, he joined the Kunlun Fight tournament. He lost in the semi-finals to Simon Marcus.
Later that year, he made his debut in Glory, a big kickboxing organization. He lost his first Glory fight but won a rematch two years later. Israel also became a champion in the King in the Ring tournaments in New Zealand. He won the Cruiserweights II and III tournaments. He also won The Heavyweights III tournament in 2015.
Israel continued to win many fights. He beat strong opponents like Yousri Belgaroui and Bogdan Stoica. However, he lost to Alex Pereira by decision. In 2016, Israel won the Glory Middleweight Contender Tournament. This earned him a shot at the Glory Middleweight championship. He fought Jason Wilnis but lost by unanimous decision. His last kickboxing fight was a rematch with Alex Pereira in 2017. Pereira won by knockout in the third round.
Mixed Martial Arts Journey
Israel Adesanya started his professional MMA career in 2012. He won his first two fights by knockout. After a short break, he returned to MMA in 2015. He quickly built an impressive record of 8 wins and no losses. During this time, he won two championship belts. He became the AFC Middleweight Champion and the Hex Fight Series Middleweight Champion.
Joining the UFC
In December 2017, Israel signed with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). This is the biggest MMA organization in the world. He made his UFC debut on February 11, 2018, at UFC 221. He won his first fight by technical knockout in the second round. This win earned him a Performance of the Night bonus.
He then won his next fights against tough opponents. He beat Marvin Vettori by split decision and Brad Tavares by unanimous decision. His fight against Tavares earned him another Performance of the Night award. In November 2018, he knocked out Derek Brunson in the first round. This was his third Performance of the Night bonus.
Adesanya then faced the legendary former UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva in February 2019. Israel won the fight by unanimous decision. This exciting match earned both fighters the Fight of the Night award.
Becoming a UFC Champion
Israel Adesanya fought Kelvin Gastelum for the interim UFC Middleweight Championship in April 2019. It was a very close and exciting fight. Israel won by unanimous decision. This fight was considered one of the best fights of the year. It also earned him another Fight of the Night award.
Next, Israel faced Robert Whittaker in October 2019. This fight was to unify the UFC Middleweight Championship. Israel won by knockout in the second round. He became the undisputed UFC Middleweight Champion. This win also earned him his fourth Performance of the Night award.
He defended his title against Yoel Romero in March 2020. He won by unanimous decision. In September 2020, he faced another undefeated fighter, Paulo Costa. Israel won by technical knockout in the second round. This was his fifth Performance of the Night award.
In March 2021, Israel moved up a weight class to Light Heavyweight. He challenged Jan Błachowicz for the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship. He lost this fight by unanimous decision. This was his first loss in mixed martial arts.
After that, he returned to the Middleweight division. He successfully defended his title against Marvin Vettori in June 2021. He won by unanimous decision. He also won a rematch against Robert Whittaker in February 2022. He defended his title again against Jared Cannonier in July 2022.
In November 2022, Israel faced Alex Pereira again. Pereira had beaten him twice in kickboxing. This time, Pereira won by technical knockout in the fifth round. Israel lost his Middleweight title. But in April 2023, Israel got his revenge. He fought Pereira again for the title and won by knockout in the second round. He became a two-time UFC Middleweight Champion. This earned him another Performance of the Night award.
In September 2023, Israel lost his title to Sean Strickland by unanimous decision. In August 2024, he faced Dricus du Plessis for the UFC Middleweight Championship. He lost this fight by submission, which was his first submission loss. Israel is scheduled to fight Nassourdine Imavov in February 2025.
Professional Boxing Career
Israel Adesanya also had a professional boxing career. He started in November 2014. He joined the Super 8 Boxing Tournament. He lost his first fight in a close decision.
He returned to the Super 8 tournament in May 2015. He won his first professional boxing match by knockout. He then won two more fights to become the Super 8 Cruiserweight champion. He defended this title later in 2015.
Personal Life and Interests
Besides fighting, Israel Adesanya loves to dance. He used to compete in dance competitions in New Zealand. He even showed off his dancing skills during his walkout at UFC 243.
Israel is a big fan of anime. His nickname, "The Last Stylebender," comes from the cartoon series Avatar: The Last Airbender. He even has a tattoo of a character from the show, Toph Beifong, on his arm. He also likes professional wrestling.
In September 2020, Israel became the first MMA fighter to sign a sponsorship deal with the sports brand Puma. In June 2023, a documentary film about his life, called Stylebender, was released.
Championships and Awards
Israel Adesanya has won many championships and awards in his fighting career.
Boxing
- Super 8 Boxing Tournament
- Super 8 III Cruiserweight Champion
- Super 8 IV Cruiserweight Champion
Kickboxing
- King in the Ring
- King in the Ring 86 kg II Champion
- King in the Ring 86 kg III Champion
- King in the Ring 100 kgs II Champion
- Glory
- 2016 Glory Middleweight Contender Tournament Winner
Mixed Martial Arts
- Ultimate Fighting Championship
- UFC Middleweight Championship (Two times)
- Five successful title defenses in his first reign
- The first two-time UFC Middleweight champion
- Interim UFC Middleweight Championship (One time)
- Performance of the Night (Six times)
- Fight of the Night (Two times)
- UFC Middleweight Championship (Two times)
- Australian Fighting Championship
- AFC Middleweight Champion (one time)
- Hex Fighting Series Middleweight
- Hex Fighting Series Middleweight Champion (one time)
- MMAJunkie.com
- 2018 Newcomer of the Year
- 2019 Fight of the Year (vs. Kelvin Gastelum)
- 2019 Male Fighter of the Year
- 2023 Knockout of the Year (vs. Alex Pereira at UFC 287)
- MMA Fighting
- 2018 Breakthrough Fighter of the Year
- 2019 Fight of the Year (vs. Kelvin Gastelum)
- 2019 Fighter of the Year
- 2023 Knockout of the Year (vs. Alex Pereira at UFC 287)
- CombatPress.com
- 2018 Breakout Fighter of the Year
- 2019 Male Fighter of the Year
- 2019 Fight of the Year (vs. Kelvin Gastelum)
- World MMA Awards
- 2018 Breakthrough Fighter of the Year
- 2019 – July 2020 Charles 'Mask' Lewis Fighter of the Year
- 2019 – July 2020 International Fighter of the Year
- 2021 International Fighter of the Year
- Halberg Awards
- 2019 New Zealand Sportsman of the Year
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter
- Mixed Martial Arts Most Valuable (2022)
- Best Box Office Draw (2022)
- Most Outstanding Fighter of the Year (2019, 2020)
- MMA Match of the Year (vs. Kelvin Gastelum, 2019)
- ESPN
- 2023 Knockout of the Year (vs. Alex Pereira at UFC 287)
Images for kids
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Adesanya at UFC 230 in 2018
See also
In Spanish: Israel Adesanya para niños
- List of current UFC fighters
- List of male kickboxers
- List of male mixed martial artists
