Israel Adesanya became a star almost as soon as he came into the UFC. After all, ‘Izzy’s exceptionally striking, exciting fighting style and undeniable charisma were so apparent that it was clear the Kiwi-Nigerian kickboxer was destined for greatness. This is why fewer were surprised to see him become the middleweight champ within fourteen months of his promotion debut.

If that wasn’t enough, verbose UFC analyst Chael Sonnen has another revelation that just shows how much of a superstar the Yoruba has always been. “Izzy’s fascinating because he’s rich. Are you guys aware when Izzy signed his contract just before his second fight with Robert Whitaker, it made him the highest paid guy in the UFC not named Conor McGregor? Conor’s got a different deal. Are you guys aware of that?”, Uncle Chael said in a video on his official YouTube channel.

Adesanya reportedly signed a contract extension with the UFC in 2022, where he was guaranteed a $1 million base pay along with a cut of PPV revenue and sponsorship money. And the Yoruba managed to secure this deal after only four years in the promotion! This, according to Sonnen, made ‘Izzy’ the second highest-paid fighter in the UFC at that time.

Conor McGregor, after all, is undeniably the biggest star the sport has ever seen, responsible for taking the UFC to mainstream pop culture consciousness. Which is why it is not surprising to see him be the highest-paid MMA athlete. But Adesanya, in terms of star power, is not too far behind and is one of the most monetizable fighters in the promotion.

After all, the Kiwi-Nigerian likes to remain active and fights at least twice or more every year, to the absolute delight of Dana White and the UFC since Adesanya fights almost always well, no matter the opponent. And Adesanya gets handsomely paid for his troubles, making it a win-win for everyone involved. However, the former champ will get paid a bit less handsomely for his next fight.

Israel Adesanya set to headline Fight Night card this February

Israel Adesanya is coming off two consecutive losses! Which is why his next fight is so crucial. After all, a win will put him in the title picture straight away, while a loss will relegate him further down the division, from where he will have to take the long road and make his way back up to the top.

Adesanya, of course, will headline the UFC Saudi Arabia card in February 2025, opposite #5 ranked middleweight Nassourdine Imavov there. But since that is a Fight Night card and not a numbered PPV even, ‘Izzy’ will get no PPV points for the fight. Of course, many would look at fighting on a non-PPV card as a demotion for a PPV headliner like Adesanya.

But it is worth noting that Adesanya will headline the second-ever UFC event in Saudi Arabia, which is a huge honor. After all, the UFC had originally planned for Khamzat Chimaev to main event its first Saudi card last year, showing that Dana White and co. choose the absolute crème de la crème for the Saudi cards. Being on the top of the card proves that Adesanya is still one of the biggest stars in the promotion at the moment. What do you think about Chael Sonnen’s revelation about Israel Adesanya?