Israel Adesanya’s Ethnicity, Nationality, and Religion: All About the UFC Star’s Personal Life

Israel Adesanya has seldom disappointed the fighting community with his performance inside the Octagon. However, the fight fans have often pondered about the story of the two-time middleweight champion’s origins. After all, the ‘real African’ debate and his rivalry with Dricus Du Plessis gave birth to doubts regarding Adesanya’s ethnicity. Today, let’s take a deep dive into Adesanya’s origins and see if he really has roots in the African soil. Let’s get right into it!

Is Israel Adesanya an African native? What is his ethnicity?

The answer to the aforementioned question is ‘Yes’. He is indeed an African native, with his roots lying in Lagos, Nigeria. ‘The Last Stylebender’ was born on July 22nd, 1989. His father, Femi Adesanya, worked as an accountant, and his mother, Taiwo Adesanya, worked as a nurse. The middleweight mixed martial artist is the oldest of 5 siblings, and on top of that, ‘The Last Stylebender’ often flaunted his Yoruba ethnicity.

The Yoruba population largely lives in Nigeria and is one of the largest African ethnic groups. He spoke the Yoruba language while growing up, which is a combination of the Niger-Combo language.

Needless to say, Adesanya got pretty angry when Dricus Du Plessis challenged his African heritage. At the UFC 285 press conference, DDP said, “Did those belts ever go to Africa? As far as I know, they came to America and New Zealand. I’m going to take a belt to Africa… That’s an African champion, and that’s who I’ll be.” 

This further heated up the rivalry between Du Plessis and Adesanya, as the two are set to face each other at UFC 305. But now, let’s shift our focus to Adesanya’s childhood and learn the places where he grew up.

Where did Israel Adesanya grow up? What is his nationality?

The former two-time middleweight champion had previously mentioned that he feels privileged to come from a well-off family and was a happy kid growing up. He did his primary education at Chrisland School at Opebi in Ikeja, Lagos. He then completed his high school education from Ota in Ogun state.

Adesanya had a keen interest in martial arts as well as dancing during his stay in the respective schools. He used to roam with friends who learned to dance and he tried to copy their moves and learn. But before he could complete his secondary education, his parents decided to move out of their native country to provide good education to their children.

They spent 10 months in Ghana and pondered their options going further. They had the US and New Zealand in mind and they stuck with the latter as the US was experiencing turmoil after 9/11. The family made their new home in the city of Rotorua, where Israel completed his remaining high school education. Later, he moved to Auckland and established himself there. And that is the reason why the Nigerian-born fighter fights out of Auckland, New Zealand.

But what exactly are the MW #2’s religious beliefs? Let’s get right into it!

What religion does ‘Stylebender’ follow?

Born into a family of Christians, Adesanya has often raised questions about religion and made the fight fans wonder about his religious beliefs. There are instances where ‘The Last Stylebender’ talked about the teachings of Christianity. He doesn’t really like to align himself with a particular faith.

But things began to go awry after the Christchurch mosque shootings, on the 15th of March, 2019. That was when he began to show interest in understanding the ways of Islam, even though he was not a follower of the religion. He even visited a mosque and celebrated Christmas, further sending the fight fans off balance.

Now, with UFC 305 right around the corner, all eyes are focused on Du Plessis and Adesanya as the ‘real African’ debate will finally settle with the UFC MW title on the line. What are your thoughts on Adesanya’s ethnic background and origins? Let us know what you think in the comments down below.