Israel Adesanya is the current UFC Middleweight Champion. 'The Last Stylebender' is about to defend his middleweight gold against Vettori at UFC 263. Ahead of his match, here is a list of five things you probably didn't know about Adesanya.
Israel Adesanya was born in Nigeria. However, his family moved to New Zealand when he was 10 for better schooling. He attended Rotorua Boys High School throughout his teen years..
The middleweight champion is a big-time anime fan. His favorite anime series Avatar: The Last Airbender heavily influenced his nickname. His interest in pop culture and anime has gained him a young fan base.
During his younger days, Adesanya took dancing as a career, but because of parental pressure, he turned his focus towards MMA. He is often seen celebrating his victories with his charismatic dance moves.
Adesanya’s mom stopped his kickboxing training because he broke his arm. However, the martial arts movie ‘Ong-Bak’ highly inspired him, and he was back in the gym.
The 185-lbs title holder is the UFC’s first fighter to bag a multi-year deal with the sportswear company Puma. While Venum remains the official sponsor of the UFC, ‘The Last Style Bender’ is often seen sporting Puma.