With two fights down in the mud, Israel Adesanya has found himself in a tough predicament. Despite the setbacks, ‘The Last Stylebender’ decided to lighten up his mood and visit his origin country of Nigeria to join his people after his loss against Dricus Du Plessis. However, not all fans seemed all too excited and happy with his visit to the African nation.

Dricus Du Plessis defeating Israel Adesanya gave him the biggest win of his career, and the former 2-time champion respects the South African for bringing the fight at UFC 305. They even embraced each other, but there is no doubt the loss weighed heavily on ‘Izzy’ who was looking to make a statement win after his upset loss to Sean Strickland last year.

Nevertheless, Israel Adesanya decided to drop by Lagos, his birth city in Nigeria, and guess what? The people who went to greet him during his arrival didn’t leave anything behind in welcoming the former UFC champion. Music, performances with drums, everything was there when Adesanya landed at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport. Despite his failure to recapture the title, he still has a lot of love back in Nigeria.

Just last year, Israel Adesanya was honored by the High Commissioner of Nigeria for his impressive win over Alex Pereira, so a return to his native land wasn’t that big of a surprise. While some fans loved the sight of people giving Israel Adesanya a heartwarming welcome, there were still those fans who didn’t see what the big deal was with him going back to Nigeria. Let’s see what they had to say.

Israel Adesanya receives polarizing responses to his visit to Nigeria

When Dricus Du Plessis flared the ‘Real African’ debate, he primarily pointed out that Israel Adesanya never brought his UFC championship to Nigeria, where he was born. Fans remembered that as one of them commented, “And then he returns to New Zealand [laughing emoji],” taking a jibe at Adesanya. Another fan commented, “Cool he brought with him his ufc belt and his glory belts too… oh wait,” highlighting the fact that he didn’t have a championship belt with him this time around.

It’s been almost five years since Israel Adesanya last visited Nigeria, and given he proudly claims to be a Nigerian, fans believe the visit this time will be a very brief one. “Only for a week then he’s back home to his people,” said an Instagram user. There was one fan who said, “Ddp made it so this guy had to go back to Nigeria.” Another social media user also didn’t seem happy with the visit as they wrote, “Trying to save face once again. This is just sad bruh,” claiming that he only came to Nigeria because he could not do what he said he’d do, and that’s winning against Dricus Du Plessis.

Meanwhile, eagle-eyed fans also pointed out that very few people came to meet him at the airport in Lagos. They suggest that he take a turn towards New Zealand, or as Sean Strickland often states, Israel Adesanya should go back to China. “It’s like 20 people there for him.. he should go back to repping China or New Zealand.” 

However, just like Dricus Du Plessis and Strickland claim, ‘Izzy’ is still one of the greatest MMA athletes ever and one social media user suggested fans take note of the things he’s achieved. “Y’all Really Hating On This Man But He’s Inspired So Many People Y’all Could Have Never Done Half Of What He’s Accomplished,” that fan added. A handful of other Instagram users also seemed in awe of Adesanya’s visit to his birth country as one of them wrote, “still th goat.”

What do you have to say about Israel Adesanya going back to Nigeria after his UFC 305 defeat? Drop your thoughts in the comments below.