“I remember a kid from school kept on riding past my house and going: ‘Go back to your country.“ Israel Adesanya once revealed in an interview. Back in 1999, Adesanya and his family left Nigeria for a new life in New Zealand. Settling in Rotorua, Izzy found himself in a foreign world where he didn’t quite belong. New to the country, unsure of himself, and constantly picked on for being different. He didn’t fit the mold.

Fast forward to now, and that same boy is now a former two-time UFC middleweight champion of the world, and he’s riding around in style! In a video uploaded on social media that’s now gone viral, the former champion cruised past a crowd of school kids who went absolutely wild at the sight of him. But it wasn’t just the fighter they were screaming for, it was the symbol he represents.

The video of Israel Adesanya driving around was shared on Instagram by the ‘NasharMMA’ account with the caption reading, “Izzy inspiring the youth.” ‘The Last Stylebender’ pulls up to a school and immediately gets surrounded by a mob of cheering kids. His car? The exotic McLaren 720S, worth a jaw-dropping $310,000!

But this isn’t just an ordinary McLaren. It was a moving canvas, decked out in orange-and-black Kurama artwork, a tribute to the powerful anime character from Naruto. That’s the thing about Adesanya. Whether it’s his flashy entrances, his anime references, or his unapologetic love for Japanese pop culture, he doesn’t hide what makes him different. Instead, he uses it as armor.

In his appearance on ‘Hot Ones’, the UFC star explained, “In so many different ways, it’s helped me tell my own story, be the protagonist in my own story. Certain characters and animes, I draw inspiration from. Like when Gai Sensei, who is Rock Lee’s master, when he opened the 8th gate… I cried actually when that moment happened. It’s just inspiring.”

So why does this moment, him in that anime-inspired McLaren, matter so much? Because it’s not just a supercar. It’s a statement. The 720S, with its 710 horsepower and 2.8-second 0-60 speed, is a performance beast. But for Israel Adesanya, it’s also proof that dreams chased hard enough can roar loud enough for others to hear.

He could’ve chosen to blend in. Instead, he painted his story literally on the side of a six-figure sports car and drove it straight into the heart of the community he once felt rejected by. After all, maybe one of the kids watching might be going through the same struggles as a young Adesanya. And watching him, they could think, “If he made it, maybe I can too.”

But Israel Adesanya’s struggle with bullying left a deep impact on him. And now, he’s raring to settle the score with a man who, ironically, feels all too familiar to the bullies from his past!

Israel Adesanya is gunning for ‘bully’ Sean Strickland

Sean Strickland may not ride past Adesanya’s house yelling insults, but to ‘The Last Stylebender’, the sting is the same. Adesanya’s fall from the top has been steep. Once hailed as an unstoppable force, he now finds himself on a three-fight losing streak. To change things up, the former champion recently sought the help of David Goggins, retired Navy SEAL and motivational speaker.

The UFC veteran is in comeback mode. And Strickland, the man who handed him a brutal five-round beating at UFC 293, is firmly in his crosshairs. To Adesanya, this isn’t just another fight, it’s a return to the schoolyard. He confessed to Goggins, “He beat me fair and square in Sydney, five-nil… That was one of the things what made me realize I need to slow down in my activity. I was fighting 3-4 a year as a champion. So I’m like, I’m gonna pull back now because I’m older…”

Now, it’s about more than revenge. How? He further shared, “Everything he’s done since that… because I used to get bullied a lot as a kid, so he’s an embodiment of that in a sense. He attacked a young me, the inner child. So, I wanna protect him and get some get-back on him.”

In conclusion, in many ways, Sean Strickland isn’t just a rival to Israel Adesanya; he’s a mirror of the pain Adesanya’s carried since childhood. Beating Strickland isn’t just about revenge, it’s about healing old wounds and rewriting the narrative. Do you think ‘The Last Stylebender’ will be able to bounce back from his skid? Will the UFC set up a rematch between him and Strickland? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!