Meet Israel Adesanya parents, Oluwafemi and Taiwo
Israel Adesanya parents are Oluwafemi and Taiwo. He was born in Lagos Nigeria and the eldest of 5 children. Before we dig deep into who his parents are, Israel is now a famous New Zealand professional mixed martial artist, kickboxer, and former boxer with multiple championships in all three disciplines.
As of November 14, 2022, he is #1 in the UFC middleweight rankings, and as of March 21, 2023, he is #5 in the UFC men’s pound-for-pound rankings. Now, let us find out more about his parents and details about his family.
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Israel Adesanya Biography
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Adesanya was born in Lagos, Nigeria as the eldest of five children to parents who were both professionals: his father was an accountant, and his mother a nurse. Adesanya started his martial arts journey with Taekwondo at Chrisland School, Opebi, but was forced to quit due to an injury.
When he was 10 years old, his family moved to Ghana for 10 months before settling in Rotorua, New Zealand. Despite attending Rotorua Boys’ High School, Adesanya was not interested in sports but instead enjoyed Japanese anime such as Death Note and Naruto. He was bullied during his high school years, which led him to pursue martial arts later in life.
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In 2010, Adesanya won the first fight of his seven-fight winning streak, mostly competing with Wu Lin Feng in China. His winning streak earned him a spot in the 2014 Kunlun Fight 80 kg tournament, where he lost in the semifinals to Simon Marcus. He also participated in Glory events, winning the Middleweight Contender Tournament in 2016 but losing to Jason Wilnis for the championship at Glory 37: Los Angeles.
Before transitioning to MMA, Adesanya fought in kickboxing and briefly in professional boxing. He faced Kelvin Gastelum for the interim UFC Middleweight Championship on April 13, 2019, and won via unanimous decision, earning him the Fight of the Night award. He then fought Robert Whittaker in a title unification bout at UFC 243, winning via knockout in the second round and earning his fourth Performance of the Night award.
Meet Israel Adesanya’s parents, Oluwafemi and Taiwo
Adesanya was born in Lagos, Nigeria as the eldest of five children to Oluwafemi and Tawiwo. His parents were both professionals: his father was an accountant, and his mother a nurse. When he was 10 years old, his family moved to Ghana for 10 months before settling in Rotorua, New Zealand.