With UFC and Glory titles on his mantelpiece, Israel Adesanya is undeniably one of the greatest martial artists of all time.
Blessed with formidable striking skills and a bulletproof mentality, Israel Adesanya has given combat sports fans a plethora of memories that will last a lifetime, but who is the man behind the achievements?
While the phenom is known today for his explosive performances in the cage, in his younger years, he was far from the most popular child, having to deal with the cruel jokes of high school bullies.
But in a testament to his ferocious fighting heart, rather than letting his fellow students get to him, ‘The Last Stylebender’ channeled his emotions into following the path towards greatness in the UFC.
- READ MORE – Alex Pereira congratulates Israel Adesanya with three-word message after UFC Hall of Fame induction
What age is Israel Adesanya?
Israel Mobolaji Temitayo Odunayo Oluwafemi Owolabi Adesanya was born July 22, 1989, in Lagos, Nigeria. He is the eldest of five siblings to his father, Oluwafemi, and his mother, Taiwo.
His family moved to Rotorua, New Zealand, when he was 10.
As of June 2025, he is 35 years old but will soon turn 36.
Israel Adesanya’s height, reach, and weight
Standing at an enormous six feet four inches, Adesanya is a giant in the 185-pound division, regularly towering over any man who dares set foot in the octagon with him.
In addition, with a reach of 80 inches, the gifted athlete is capable of keeping his adversaries at bay, picking them off with his long levers before they’ve even had a chance to get into the fight.
X/Twitter and Instagram accounts
Adesanya has a huge presence on Instagram with a massive 8.7 million followers to his name. You can become one at stylebender.
He posts a variety of content, including fan art, bets, inspirational quotes, and behind-the-scenes images.
Adesanya also has a huge 1.8m followers on X, formerly Twitter, at stylebender.
Israel Adesanya’s MMA record
| W-L-D | (T)KO | Sub |
| 24-4-0 | 16-1 | 0-0 |
Israel Adesanya’s Kickboxing record
| W-L-D | (T)KO |
| 75-5-0 | 29 |
Israel Adesanya’s Career Stats
| Significant Strikes Landed per Minute | 4.00 |
| Significant Striking Accuracy | 48% |
| Significant Strikes Absorbed per Minute | 3.21 |
| Significant Strike Defense (the % of opponents’ strikes that did not land) | 56% |
| Average Takedowns Landed per 15 minutes | 0.05 |
| Takedown Accuracy | 12% |
| Takedown Defense (the % of opponents’ TD attempts that did not land) | 75% |
| Average Submissions Attempted per 15 minutes | 0.1 |
Israel Adesanya’s net worth
Having competed in massive fights across the globe, it comes as no surprise that the Nigerian-born sportsman has accumulated a massive net worth.
According to SportsLens, the middleweight is worth a whopping $6 million. And with his all-African grudge match coming up, Adesanya isn’t done with making the big bucks yet.
Israel Adesanya vs Dricus Du Plessis
On August 17, at the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia, Stylebender fell short in his quest to win back the UFC middleweight title.
In an all-African grudge match, the Glory icon showcased flashes of brilliance before being ultimately overwhelmed by his opponent’s relentless engine, en route to succumbing to a fourth-round face crank.
Alex Pereira vs Israel Adesanya
For as long as combat sports have existed, the public has reveled in the opportunity to get their teeth sunk into grudge matches. Alex Pereira vs Adesanya is certainly up there with the best of them.
The two legends originally squared off back in their Glory kickboxing days, with Pereira snatching two victories from the jaws of defeat.
Refusing to let the Brazilian define his career, Stylebender moved over to the world of UFC, winning the championship belt and solidifying his place as an MMA legend.
Alas, he couldn’t escape Pereira for long, with his nemesis hunting him down, and rendering him unconscious to go 3-0 in their feud.
- Who is Alex Pereira? Get to know the MMA brawler as he lands yet another massive KO at UFC 307
The rematch
While some resigned to the fact that ‘Poatan’ may just have Izzy’s number, the New Zealand-based fighter refused to give in, bouncing back to score an Earth-shattering knockout to finally earn his redemption.
But with the scales still tipping in Pereira’s favor, talk of a fourth fight isn’t going to simmer down anytime soon.
Sean Strickland vs Israel Adesanya
When Sean Strickland and Adesanya went head-to-head at UFC 293, very few gave the American a chance.
With Izzy clearly possessing a higher caliber of striking, it seemed a foregone conclusion that he’d secure a stoppage victory with relative ease.
However, in a moment that shocked the world, Strickland dropped the champion in the opening round to send the fans into meltdown.
As the contest rolled on, the controversial figure continued to prove his class, dominating his adversary to claim the championship belt and consequently pull off one of the greatest upsets the sport has ever seen.
- Who is Sean Strickland? Get to know the controversial former UFC Middleweight champion
Jon Jones vs Israel Adesanya
With Jon Jones and the former middleweight King both oozing star power, The UFC would love nothing more than to pair them together in a match-up that would generate enormous numbers.
Ultimately, a collision between the icons would pit together two dynamic strikers in a clash that would undoubtedly create fireworks.
However, with two weight divisions now between them, a bout looks unlikely. But as the old saying goes, ‘never say never’.
Robert Whittaker vs Israel Adesanya
In one of the biggest events in UFC history, Robert Whittaker and Adesanya battled it out in front of 57,127 fans at Marvel Stadium in Melbourne, Australia, in an epic Trans Tasman clash.
Exhibiting breathtaking skills, Stylebender rose to the occasion, knocking out the champion in a performance that proved he’s truly one of the best to ever do it.
However, when the pair rolled it back two years later, the Australian raised his game, putting up a much better fight, with many believing he did enough to get the victory.
Thus, while the score is officially 2-0, fans would love to see a third encounter.
Jan Blachowicz vs Israel Adesanya
With a 20-0 record to his name, Adesanya looked almost unbeatable. Thus, it made perfect sense for the decorated sportsman to step up a weight class to go head-to-head with Jan Blachowicz for light heavyweight supremacy.
Alas, his grappling wasn’t quite good enough to fend off ‘Polish Power’. However, with his career a long way from over, the Kiwi may one day give the 205-pound division another crack.
Mark Zuckerberg and Israel Adesanya
In a world of bizarre celebrity match-ups, even entrepreneurs, Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk, have discussed the idea of a Facebook vs Twitter showdown.
However, it appears the American is taking the potential scrap considerably more seriously, enlisting the help of Adesanya and Alexander Volkanovski to prepare him for everything the Tesla owner could possibly bring to the table.
Israel Adesanya’s back tattoo
Like many fighters, Adesanya is covered in tattoos. However, the 34-year-old’s most prominent piece of artwork is undeniably on his back.
Inspired by a traditional Japanese dragon, Stylebender has a remarkable monster inked onto his skin.
Israel Adesanya documentary: Where to watch
Having lived such an interesting life, it comes as no surprise that the sportsman’s story has hit the big screen. ‘Stylebender’ covers Adesanya’s journey through the good and the bad and gives an eye-opening insight into what it’s really like to be one of the best fighters walking the face of the Earth.
You can watch the documentary via Amazon Prime, Apple TV and New Zealand-based, NEON.
Drake’s bet on Adesanya
If you’re a mixed martial artist, the last thing you want is Drake betting on your fight. The rapper has a reputation for losing near enough every wager he places. But in a groundbreaking moment, Adesanya broke ‘The Drake Curse’.
At UFC 287, with three losses already on his record against Pereira, Stylebender needed to produce a moment of magic, which he did, and it made the pop star a lot of money.
Drake bet $500,000 on an outright victory to win $385,000. Furthermore, he placed $400,000 on a stoppage win, earning himself $1.44 million, accumulating a grand total of $1.785 million. Not a bad day at the office.
Israel Adesanya in the UFC Hall of Fame
Adesanya was honored in 2025 when his fight against Kelvin Gastelum was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame’s fight wing.
Their fight at UFC 236 was one of the wildest brawls in UFC history, and definitely deserves to be honored as an all-time great fight in the promotion’s history.
The slugfest marked the first time Adesanya was knocked down in his career, before recovering and going on to win the fight by unanimous decision to become the interim UFC Middleweight champion.