Oluwafemi Temitayo Owolabi Adesanya known professionally as Israel Adesanya was born in Lagos Nigeria on the 22nd of July 1989 but then moved with his parents to New Zealand in 2001.
Adesanya moved to Auckland where he began a professional kickboxing career under Eugene Bareman at City Kickboxing. He is a professional mixed martial artist, kickboxer, and former boxer with multiple championships in all three disciplines.
He successfully defended his title for the fifth time on Sunday 3rd of June 2022 after defeating Jared Cannonier, he retained the UFC Middleweight Champion.
Adesanya is a fan of anime. His nickname “The Last Stylebender” is refrenced to Avatar: The Last Airbender, an anime-influenced cartoon series.
In September 2020, he became the first mixed martial arts athlete to sign a sponsorship deal with Puma.