Israel Adesanya Tired of “Click-bait Headlines”, Says He Has Stopped Talking To a Few Reporters

Israel Adesanya is one of the biggest stars in the UFC today, bar none. The Nigerian is a superstar both inside and outside the octagon. Further, he is an extremely marketable athlete and can be seen on everything from Podcasts to video game covers.

Adesanya made his debut in the UFC in February 2018. ‘Izzy’ entered the UFC as an interesting prospect with a highly accomplished kickboxing background and a record of 75-5. 

Adesanya has lived up to all the hype surrounding him. After defeating Wilkinson in his debut, he fought the likes of Marvin Vettori, and Brad Tavares, earning decision wins over both men. 

The real turning point in Israel’s career was probably the Brunson fight. Brunson was supposed to be his toughest fight to date. However, ‘Izzy’ stopped Brunson in the very first round of the fight. 

Following his spectacular win, fortunes changed for ‘The Last Style Bender’. He further cemented this position as a star with a win over legend Anderson Silva. Israel then fought Kelvin Gastelum for the interim middleweight title. 

This fight answered a lot of questions critics had about the man. Not only did he prove his toughness but also showed that he had it in him to dig deep in the championship rounds to win a fight. ‘The Last Style Bender’ followed the win up with a title unification bout with Whittaker. 

After handing Whittaker his first loss as a middleweight, Adesanya defended his belt against Yoel Romero. 

Israel Adesanya gives his thoughts on being ‘too big’ for the media

In his interview with Ariel, he was asked if he felt he did not need to give his time to the media, given how big he has become.

Adesanya replied, saying, “That’s a very good question Ariel, I haven’t gotten to that point yet. But I choose who I speak to more carefully. Even in New Zealand, I might have an interview with someone and they have a clickbait headline. Completely out of line with what I said. That has happened a few times now so, yeah I’m not there yet but when I am if you know you know. I think you’re good for now.”

Do you think “Izzy” will shy away from the media as he gets bigger in the sport?