“I Will Always Have Ties to China”: Despite Accusing Chinese Promotions of Some “Dirty Sh*t”, Israel Adesanya Recalls How the Experience There Helped His Career

Israel Adesanya is arguably one of the biggest mixed martial artists in the world, let alone the UFC. He became the first-ever two-time UFC middleweight champion after defeating Alex Pereira at UFC 287. However, before coming into the UFC, he fought everywhere around the world. ‘The Last Stylebender’ recently appeared in an interview and mentioned that fighting in China helped him gain a lot of experience later on in his career.

The Nigerian-born Kiwi fighter might be one of the biggest UFC draws today. But he was known for taking opponents out in the Chinese domestic circuit.

Israel Adesanya and his time in China

‘The Last Stylebender’ left home and threw himself into the arenas of the Chinese domestic circuits after a 5-1 record as a boxer and a 75-5 record as a kickboxer. He now competes in three fights per year and earns millions of dollars. However, things were not the same in China. Adesanya would sometimes fight about four times in a space of just one month.

However, things weren’t always as normal as it would seem. The UFC middleweight champion said, “Bro, the promotions have done some dirty sh*t.” Adesanya mentioned that the Chinese promotions would engage in sketchy tactics by instructing the fighters to take an extensive tour of the city before the weigh-ins. This was done on purpose to wear the fighters down before their fights. However, he still has fond memories from his time there.

‘The Last Stylebender’ has fond memories of fighting in China

Israel Adesanya cherishes the experience he had gained during his time in China. In a conversation with Emilio Urrutia, he said, “It was a good time… I will always have ties to China because of my time there [and] the experience I got there.” Adesanya claimed that fighting in China helped him come back to New Zealand’s King in the Ring promotion and dominate the competition. “Because when I came back that’s when I smoked King in the Ring for the first time, second, third time, and started f***ing everybody up,” said the UFC middleweight champion.

Adesanya was thankful for the experience he had in China, because it made him a much better fighter in the later stages of his career. He mentioned a few things that boosted his fighting skills and said, “The experience, fighting constantly, forcing myself to be in uncomfortable situations.”

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‘The Last Stylebender’ has already etched his position as a future UFC Hall of Famer. However, he is only 33 years old and has a lot more to offer to the sport of MMA. We will have to wait and see whom he fights next after the epic UFC 287 win.

What are your thoughts on Adesanya’s comments on his experience in China? Drop your comments below.

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