Arguably the greatest middleweight ever, Israel Adesanya, is on his journey to redeem his last two losses in his first non-title fight in over six years. After losing the title and then failing to reclaim it, ‘Izzy’ will be taking on up-and-comer Nassourdine Imavov in the headliner of UFC Fight Night 250 in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Israel Adesanya has always kept his family above everything else. He once said, “I was never left out in the cold… They were always there,” when asked about them in an interview. The former 2-time middleweight champion is arguably one of the best strikers to have ever stepped inside the Octagon and his family played a very important role in it, and it also involved his brother, David Adesanya. But who is ‘Izzy’s brother? Let’s take a look at that front.

Meet David Adesanya, Israel’s brother

Born to Taiwo Adesanya, a nurse, and Femi Adesanya, an accountant in Lagos, Nigeria, Israel Adesanya is the eldest of five siblings. The former champion has two brothers and two sisters. According to ‘The Last Stylebender’, his siblings are his source of motivation to keep going and not look back. Among his siblings, the one who always stays beside Adesanya is his brother, David Adesanya. Interestingly, David manages most of his brother’s business.

David Adesanya is almost 4 years younger than ‘The Last Stylebender’, who stands out most for the former 2-time champion due to their mutual interests and inclusive nature. David Adesanya helps his brother with his events and even manages Israel Adesanya’s YouTube handle, which has more than a million followers. Although he’s not a UFC fighter, David packs a lot of power in his kicks, just like his MMA-fighting brother.

Viral spinning kick video of Israel Adesanya’s brother 

David Adesanya once tried to replicate his brother’s spinning kick, which unsurprisingly went viral on the internet. This happened during an out-of-competition training session when Israel’s Adesanya’s brother wanted to show him that he had his fair share of MMA skills as well. However, things didn’t quite turn out in David’s favor.

In the viral clip, David Adesanya can be seen stepping up for the challenge, but he failed in a pretty spectacular fashion. He didn’t just lose his balance but fell down on the ground, and the sight was so comical that Israel Adesanya couldn’t stop laughing and even imitated his brother’s fall, leading fans to have a laugh on social media as well. But let’s take a history lesson and learn a bit about David’s life growing up.

David Adesanya’s early life in Africa

Israel Adesanya’s family was based in Lagos, Nigeria before they decided to leave the nation for good. After moving from their home country, they arrived in Australia and then shifted to New Zealand. According to David Adesanya, the entire journey from being African to Australian was a magical experience for his family. While having a conversation with ‘Combat TV’, David Adesanya shed light on their wild experience. “For me, it was more exciting than anything. Leaving Africa after spending five years in Nigeria and about two and a half years in Ghana, and then going to South Africa, the Australian airport was like stepping into a different world,” said David Adesanya.

He further added, “Everything was stainless steel, and I was amazed by the escalators. It felt like one big spaceship or something. I was still a kid, so everything seemed shiny and new. When we arrived in New Zealand, I saw grass and good roads. It was like entering a whole different world—my eyes were wide open to everything. Everything was new and fascinating. I went to primary school and felt like the new toy; everyone was asking me questions, and I was the center of attention.” 

David Adesanya has many fond memories about his family, but there was a time when he was deathly afraid for the fate of his brother when he faced Marvin Vettori for the second time. ‘Izzy’s brother was very anxious when he witnessed ‘The Italian Dream’ choking him when they fought each other at UFC 263. Adesanya struggled to get away from the submission, but in the end, he escaped the chokehold.

“Some scary moments when he (Marvin Vettori) had him (Israel Adesanya) in the rear naked (choke). I couldn’t even see,” David Adesanya revealed in his conversation with the media when he emphasized that he was deathly afraid of the fate of his brother. Luckily for him, ‘Izzy’ won the fight via unanimous decision.

Having learned about Israel Adesanya’s brother, what’s your take on David? State your thoughts in the comments below.