For Israel Adesanya, identity is more than just a name on a poster. It’s the fire that fuels a fighter, the unseen force that shapes their spirit. That fire has always burned bright with the colors of the Kiwi fighter’s Nigerian heritage. But his journey hasn’t been without struggle.

From the bustling streets of Lagos to the cold realities of facing racism in New Zealand, Adesanya has walked a path paved with both pride and pain. In a candid conversation with Jazzys World TV back in 2022, Adesanya peeled back the layers of his identity, revealing how his ancestry shaped him as a fighter and as a man.

Israel Adesanya pulls back the curtain on his Nigerian ancestry and his early struggles  

During the interview, held ahead of his UFC 281 clash against Alex Pereira, Israel Adesanya was asked how his “Nigerian upbringing helped mold your warrior mentality in the Octagon?”. An intriguing question and the UFC middleweight star’s response was very enlightening.

‘The Last Stylebender’ confessed, “For me, I grew up in an affluent household, so my parents were quite well off. But there was a lot of struggle around me from the people that, you know, were living in the streets. People from the lesser, I guess, fortunate families. But also my ancestry – I know who I am, you know. I know who my bloodline is, and that always inspires me whenever I step in the Octagon. ”

Adesanya’s father Oluwafemi worked as an accountant and his mother Taiwo had her own career path as a nurse. Being an ethnic Yoruba, a West African ethnic group that calls Nigeria, Benin, and Togo home, ‘The Last Stylebender’ spent his formative years living and studying in Nigeria.

In 1999, their family moved to Ghana for a while, but due to his parents wanting a better education for their children, they shifted bases to Rotorua, New Zealand. Adesanya was 10 years old at the time.

Moving to New Zealand as a child, Adesanya quickly realized that his skin color made him different—and to some, that difference was a problem. In his interview with Jazzys World TV, he confessed, “For me, I never really realized being black was a problem till I moved to a country where there were predominantly people with different skin tones. So I had to learn, like, okay, I need to learn how to defend myself because these people are not gonna stop picking on me.”

What started as survival soon turned into mastery. Martial arts became his weapon, not just to fight back but to take control of his own story. Yet, he doesn’t advocate violence as a first response. Instead, he believes in the power of discipline.  Why? Adesanya explained, “Every kid must learn how to defend themselves, including yourself. You must learn how to defend yourself and you must have the capability to control it because I’m a savage. I’m a beast. I can hurt people, but I choose not to…”

Adesanya’s journey from bullied kid to world champion is a story of him defying the obstacles in his path to put Nigeria on the MMA map. In another video for Netflix on YouTube, ‘The Last Stylebender’ shared a deeper look into his favorite things about being from Nigeria!

‘The Last Stylebender’ breaks down his favorite Nigerian food, stories, and more 

Food, culture, and childhood memories—these are the roots that shape us. For Israel Adesanya, his Nigerian heritage isn’t just a part of his story, it’s the heartbeat of his identity. And if there’s one thing that instantly transports him back to the bustling streets of Lagos, it’s ‘suya’—that smoky, spicy grilled meat wrapped in newspaper, straight off the roadside grill.

“My favorite dish in the world is suya,” Adesanya admitted in a 2021 Netflix feature on YouTube about his ‘Naija’ heritage. But not just any suya. “I don’t mean suya like you make anywhere else in the world, like the suya spice. I’m talking like the one way you’d get where? Go like from the streets, like cooked on coal, from the side of the street at nighttime past 7, 8, 9 PM. It’s getting wrapped in that newspaper. That suya, I’m salivating thinking about it right now.”

But Adesanya’s Nigerian roots go beyond food. His childhood in Lagos shaped his resilience, especially during a unique chapter of his early years. Despite coming from a well-off family, his parents weren’t happy with his school performance. Their solution? Send him to live with his teacher for nine months during the weekdays—a decision that would unknowingly sharpen his survival instincts.

According to ‘The Last Stylebender’, “I was able to just be like just a street kid, but without being a street kid, like a rich family behind me. But yeah, it was fun. That was one of my fondest memories I can think of growing up in Nigeria.”

From the street-side suya stands of Lagos to the bright lights of the UFC, every step has shaped the fighter he is today. His past, woven with both the warmth of culture and the sting of adversity, fuels him inside the Octagon. The lessons of resilience, discipline, and self-awareness learned in Nigeria and New Zealand have forged a champion who fights with more than just skill—he fights with purpose.

For Israel Adesanya, being Nigerian is more than just bloodline or birthplace. It’s an unshakable identity, one he carries into every battle. What do you think about his remarkable journey? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!