Where is Israel Adesanya from?
Israel Adesanya was born in Lagos, Nigeria, on 22 July 1989. Ten years later, he and his family moved to Ghana before eventually shifting to New Zealand. Adesanya's mother, Taiwo, is a nurse, while his father, Oluwafemi, is an accountant. The UFC middleweight champion claims to have come from a moderately prosperous family. The Adesanyas lived in Ghana for approximately ten months. Oluwafemi and Taiwo then immigrated to New Zealand hoping to provide their kids with higher-quality education. They settled in Rotorua city, located on the southern shores of Lake Rotorua in New Zealand's North Island. At the age of 11, Israel Adesanya attended Rotorua Boys' High School, where he was bullied. 'The Last Stylebender' referred to his early life in New Zealand as 'culture shock.' In a column carried by Athletes Voice, Adesanya wrote:  "In New Zealand, I was one of those kids who always felt like the odd one out. If everyone was doing the same thing, I was just, Nah, f**k that s**t. I just did what I wanted to do and most times, that didnt fit in with the status quo. Id always go against the grain, do my own thing. If anyone had a problem with that, I didnt care. Thats how I pursued fighting rather than study. And its kind of how I met my coach." As a kid, Israel Adesanya was more interested in reading Japanese manga series such as Death Note and Naruto than competing in combat sports. However, he developed a penchant for fighting after watching one of Tony Jaa's iconic Ong-Bak movies in 2008. Following six weeks of training in Muay Thai, a 19-year-old Adesanya began his combat sports journey. He has since professionally competed in boxing, kickboxing, and MMA. Israel Adesanya set to defend his middleweight title at UFC 263  Israel Adesanya will defend his middleweight title at UFC 263 against Marvin Vettori. The pair of middleweights previously collided in April 2018, where Adesanya emerged victorious via split decision. Adesanya and Vettori have exchanged some harsh words in the lead-up to their rematch. Both men have claimed they will walk out of the Gila River Arena with a gold strap tied around their waist. Edited by Utathya Ghosh