UFC head honcho Dana White, while transforming the once modestly valued UFC into a multibillion-dollar organization, has also changed the lives of many fighters, turning them from broke to rich. Conor McGregor is the best example that comes to mind. White ensures that anyone fighting under his promotion with full dedication gets paid what they deserve. A perfect illustration of this came at the historic UFC 300 last summer when White increased the bonus from $50,000 to $300,000.

McGregor praised this move, wasting no time in shouting out the UFC boss, saying, “What a time to be alive!” Now, former UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya has also acknowledged White’s life-changing impact during his appearance on the Joe Rogan Experience.

Israel Adesanya reflects on his earnings before joining the UFC

“The Last Stylebender”, before starting his journey into the realm of MMA, had an impressive career in kickboxing, where he first went toe-to-toe with his future MMA rival, Alex Pereira. Upon joining the UFC in 2018, Israel Adesanya was earning around $50,000 per fight, like many other fighters. However, as time passed, Adesanya derailed everyone in his path, leading to a significant increase in his paycheck, which now extends to $750,000 for his latest fight, according to reports.

However, the situation was not always this favorable. “The Last Stylebender” revealed during his conversation with UFC commentator and podcaster Joe Rogan on the JRE MMA Show #164 that he didn’t earn much in GLORY. When Rogan asked, “What do you get paid in GLORY? What do the best fighters get paid in GLORY, like Izzy?” Nigerian-Kiwi origin responded without hesitation, saying, “I wasn’t getting paid that much.”

As the conversation continued, Adesanya further accused GLORY kickboxing of robbing him of the title, explaining the hidden reason behind his departure: “I kind of fell off them after they robbed me of the f—ing belt. I was just like, yeah, whatever; I thought I won that fight too.” However, Adesanya appreciates how things unfolded in his career, claiming, “It’s one of those things. Look, I’m glad things have happened the way they have in my career because it always gives me an opportunity to come back or rise again.”

But with everyone reflecting on their journeys, Israel Adesanya isn’t the only one revisiting his GLORY kickboxing days. Recently, during the summer, his arch-nemesis, Alex Pereira, opened up about how his kickboxing journey mentally prepared him for fights on short notice.

How kickboxing changed Alex Pereira’s mentality

Just like Israel Adesanya, Alex Pereira also has a meteoric career in GLORY kickboxing, which is evident from his official kickboxing record. Similar to the UFC, he was a two-division champion, making him the only fighter in GLORY kickboxing to hold two titles simultaneously. He achieved 21 wins, primarily by knockout.

Even after switching to MMA, Pereira’s kickboxing background has helped him take fights on short notice. He discussed this earlier this year ahead of his showdown against Jiri Prochazka at UFC 303, after the Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler fight fell through.

“I’ve been through similar situations. For my first fight with Israel in China, no one knew, but I made two trips to China in 30 days. I went for interviews, took some pictures, then went back the next day, in and out of China… After 30 days, I went back to fight. Cutting weight, I was in the 85-kilo category in kickboxing. I made three stops to get to the final destination. That got me very tired. did my obligations, went to the fight, and won. This isn’t new to me,” Pereira disclosed on his YouTube channel.

What are your thoughts on Israel Adesanya’s remark? It seems like a sharp slap in the face to critics of Dana White and the UFC, such as Jake Paul, who frequently take verbal jabs at the organization for underpaying their fighters. Drop your opinion below.