Many UFC fighters have toiled to make their careers in the MMA business. Several of them have struggled with getting fights or getting fairly compensated. Israel Adesanya, too, had a similar experience before joining the UFC.

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While the fighter has always been at the top of his game, he had a few issues with the previous promotion he was with. In a recent conversation with ‘All Goats TV’, ‘The Last Stylebender’ spoke about business and life. At a point in the conversation, the fighter mentioned his experience with a promotion in China. According to him, the promotion stopped giving him fights.

Adesanya said, “The company I was working with, in China f**ked me over, cause I had seven fights left in my contract. And each fight at that time was like 25,000 US. And then, they just stopped giving me fights. And I’m like ‘what about the contract?’ Like, I need fights, come on. And they just stopped giving me fights, and I was like ‘well, f**k you then.”

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“This is just the year before my UFC debut in February. So that was 2017, I believe. Yeah, around November 2017. They came through in the clutch. Like, literally down to my last 300 and something. I wouldn’t have had rent for the next week…”

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So his decision to join the UFC was a great one. ‘Izzy’ has reached new heights in the promotion and is doing extremely well for himself. Recently, he also struck a lucrative deal with the UFC.

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What’s next for Israel Adesanya?

Adesanya recently won his rematch against Robert Whittaker at UFC 271. He won through a unanimous decision and thus further cemented his name as the undefeated middleweight champion.

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Israel Adesanya

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The champion already has his eyes set on Jared Cannonier for his next title defense. Cannonier is currently at the second rank in the division and has not faced ‘Izzy’. Thus, it makes sense for both these fighters to fight soon.

Till Israel Adesanya’s next fight, fans can see what he is up to on his YouTube channel.

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Rohini Kottu

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Rohini Kottu is a Newsroom Editor at EssentiallySports, bringing years of expertise in sports journalism and editorial leadership. With many editorials under her byline, she has worked across combat divisions and is now a key part of the Newsroom team, shaping coverage across the site’s 14 category pages. Her editorial command lies in balancing sharp news judgment with compelling storytelling, ensuring every article resonates with sports fans while maintaining ES’s brand voice. Rohini’s journey and impact were also spotlighted in the Humans of EssentiallySports series, where she reflected on her evolution from rookie to pro in just a few years. Today, she continues to drive newsroom standards by delivering authoritative, reader-first content in an era where authenticity and clarity are more vital than ever.

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