Israel Adesanya Nickname: UFC News: Israel Adesanya, also known as The Last Stylebender, is a well-known anime fan whose actions are very much influenced by his love for fictional characters. The Nigerian-born athlete is also referred to as ‘Izzy’, another moniker that he proudly touts. Follow UFC 287: Pereira vs Adesanya LIVE Streaming updates with Insidesport.IN.
That said, ‘The Last Stylebender’ remains the official nickname for Israel Adesanya. As per official reports, Adesanya’s nickname is inspired by an anime series named Avatar: The Last Airbender. It is said that Israel Adesanya has picked the moniker himself.
This isn’t the only time when Israel Adesanya channelized his love for animes or cartoons. During his face-off against Anderson Silva, ‘Izzy’ replicated something similar. With the UFC middleweight belt around his waist, ‘The Last Stylebender’ posed like Rock Lee (anime character), while Silva stood there like Gara (anime character).
The moment gained sheer attention from the entire world as Israel Adesanya also discussed it in Joe Rogan’s podcast. Meanwhile, Israel Adesanya didn’t carry the nickname of ‘The Last Stylebender’ in his earlier days as a professional combatant.
Also Read | Israel Adesanya vs Alex Pereira Net Worth: Who Is Richer Between Adesanya and Pereira?
What was Israel Adesanya’s nickname before ‘The Last Stylebender’?
In an interaction with ESPN, Israel Adesanya once revealed that he was titled ‘The Black Dragon’ by the Chinese administrators when he was competing mostly against Asian fighters. Per Adesanya, he was bright as a ‘journeyman’ which didn’t work well for Team China as ‘Izzy’ claims to have beaten every fighter on his way.
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Adesanya said, “That didn’t work too well for them because I ain’t no b***h, and I beat up all their guys. I spoke the language a little bit, I was immersed in their culture and they loved me over there so they said ‘you know what, let’s bring this guy on our team.”
“Whenever they had a show it was Team China vs everyone else, so they gave me a name that means “The Black Dragon” and they kind of put this narrative behind me for the Chinese people to back me up.”
Israel Adesanya saw heights of success as ‘The Last Stylebender’
Adesanya became one of the most popular stars in the UFC in just a mere five years. He won the middleweight belt and defended it a record 5 times before suffering his maiden defeat at the UFC 185 lbs category.
Following his appearance at UFC 287, Israel Adesanya would have headlined more PPVs than Conor McGregor by now. He remains of the most prized fighters in the promotion who needs to regain his championship status at any cost. It remains to be seen whether ‘Izzy’ can avenge his loss against Alex Pereira at UFC 287.
Follow UFC 287: Pereira vs Adesanya LIVE Streaming updates with Insidesport.IN.
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