Real Reason Behind Nigeria-Born Israel Adesanya Moving to New Zealand

Israel Adesanya always brings a very interesting story to the table. Whether he is sitting in an interview or living the time of his life, the fans are always entertained. Adesanya has a special way of narrating his stories. Fans can feel a connection to the plotline presented by him. By far, many can consider Izzy one of the most vibrant UFC stars. With interesting life experiences and even more interesting background stories leading up to his personality and career, Adesanya makes sure to deliver the best and most authentic narrations. For those who do not know, the middleweight fighter was actually born in Nigeria. However, he was not raised there for a surprising reason.

Israel Adesanya was raised on the island nation of New Zealand. The country is fairly metropolitan. The fighter had to move to a new country at the tender age of 10. Fans have always been wondering why Adesanya’s parents moved to a completely different country, away from all their family and close friends. This question has been haunting everyone since they got to know about it. In an interview, ‘The Last Stylebender’ once talked about why the family has shifted to a country so far away.

Adesanya’s introduction to the western world

The Nigerian-born fighter was featured in an episode of the podcast ‘The Diary of a CEO’ back in 2022. Steven Bartlett, who is half-Nigerian himself, hosts the podcast. The host, while talking about Izzy’s entries, induced a question in his curious mind: “You were born in Nigeria… And then you moved to New Zealand. What was the reason why your parents decided to take you out of Nigeria and move you to another country?” The UFC star gave an unexpected answer to this question.

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Adesanya began by explaining to Bartlett, “when I’m in New Zealand, sometimes I’ll be… talking to a cab driver and I find out that he was a medical doctor back in Sri Lanka or back in India and then moved over to NZ or the ‘western world’ for ‘better life’ and their qualifications aren’t recognized in the western world.” Izzy‘s parents found this issue to be a concern, and they decided to move over to New Zealand, a western country, for a “better recognized tertiary education.”

Did this change really affect Israel Adesanya?

Izzy appreciates the decision made by his parents back in the day by saying, “worked alright for me.” Talking further, Adesanya also mentioned that he was the smartest kid in the class. However, considering his intellect and the opportunities offered to him, Adesanya did not pursue an academic career. Instead, he chose a career that required everything opposite to the needs of the tertiary sector. Do you think the decision made by Adesanya was a good one? 

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