Following one’s dreams and becoming one of the best in that is something that only a chosen few can achieve. And Israel Adesanya is one of them. The former 2-time middleweight champion was not always a professional fighter. Before he ended up at Glory Kickboxing, he used to manage a gas company. 

‘The Last Stylebender’, in an interaction with the ‘Home Of Fight’ revealed how he quit his job at the gas company on the 4th of September 2013. However, his decision to quit wasn’t well appreciated by one of his co-workers. Adesanya recollected, “I tried to quit this job 3 times prior. Kept on failing and then when I mentioned, I’m gonna get out of here one day. One of my colleagues used to laugh at me, and I asked him, ‘What the f*** are you laughing at?’ He said, ‘You said you would quit a year ago.’ Well, look where I am now [sits in a McLaren].” He seldom fails to flaunt his $4 million worth, don’t you think?

The former champ had the notice of his last pay raise framed. In 2012, he received a 2% raise, which brought his salary to $38,242 per year. Needless to say, it was a salary that many consider more than enough for a good life. However, ‘Stylebender’ had the dream of becoming a professional fighter and he flew to China to train the very next day after he called it quits at the gas company.

This interaction was shared on social media and as soon as the video struck Instagram and X, the fight fans took over the comments section with pointers at Adesanya’s childhood. Let’s see what the fans had to say.

Fight fans remind Israel Adesanya of his rich childhood

Adesanya was born into a pretty wealthy family in Nigeria. However, in an interview with TMZ Sports, ‘The Last Stylebender’ revealed that his family was forced to flee their homeland in search of better opportunities. Now, as the middleweight fighter revealed his salary before entering the world of martial arts, the fans started pointing out how rich he was during his childhood. One fan reminded him of the time when his servants used to bathe him. The comment read, “He grew up with servants. In his own words to ESPN “I didn’t know how to bathe myself until I was 8.”” Another fan added, “Acting like he grew up poor when servants used to legit bath him as a child.”

However, some of the fans seemed to believe that framing the last pay raise was indeed an impressive way of remembering the old days. The comment read, “That’s actually cool, a way of remembering what life was like before he became famous.”

The same emotions spread through Instagram, as well. One fan commented, “His parents had servants growing up – he grew up privileged, he needs to stop acting like he’s new to money.” Meanwhile, another fan claimed, “Bro had servants as a child. No ones buying you’re “came from nothing” story.” One more comment read, “His parents are rich so none of this counts.”

Nevertheless, the success that Adesanya has tasted at the UFC is nothing short of an impressive feat. And the fighting community didn’t forget that. One of the fans wrote, “He’s made 35$mill in earnings with the UFC not counting sponsors.” But some believed that $38,242 per year wasn’t bad a decade ago. The comment read, “That was actually not a bad salary considering it was in 2013.”

What are your thoughts on Adesanya’s gas company salary? Let us know what you think in the comment down below.