Sports
Adesanya: From Being Bullied To UFC Champion
Tomorrow, in Las Vegas Nigeria-born MMA fighter, Israel Adesanya, attempts to be just the fourth person to be a two-weight UFC world champion.
The middleweight champion is stepping up to try and take the UFC’s light heavyweight crown from Polish fighter, Jan Blachowicz.
Adesanya, who is known as The Last Stylebender, faces a tough task against the experienced and heavier Pole, but he is no stranger to tackling monsters.
Throughout his life he has had to confront and overcome physical and psychological hurdles on his path to success.
His first challenges came as a 10-year-old when his parents and four younger siblings moved to New Zealand in 1999.
They settled on the North Island in the city of Rotorua and Adesenya says at first he had no interest in sport and was more into Japanese anime comic books.
He was subjected to racist bullying during his high school years at Rotorua Boys’ High School, which has produced several other successful sports stars, including former England rugby union captain Dylan Hartely and several New Zealand All Black.
In an interview, Adesanya had said: “I didn’t realise I was black until I moved here.”
“I remember a kid from school kept on riding past my house and going: ‘Go back to your country, blackinese’.”
His academic prowess and love of dancing made him a further target for abuse, but he now says the physical and emotional scars from those incidents were behind his life-defining decision to pursue a career in martial arts.
He also credits his dancing abilities for helping him develop the fluid fighting style he possesses today.
The turning point came after watching the hit martial arts movie Ong Bak. It had such an effect on him that he decided to quit his computer science degree program at the age of 18 to pursue a career in kickboxing. He proceeded to rack up a superb 32-0 amateur record.
After his kickboxing success he decided to move to the New Zealand capital Auckland at the age of 21 and turn his attention to learning Mixed Martial Arts (MMA).
He decided he wanted to work with trainer Eugene Bareman at City Kickboxing gym but it was not an easy start for the pair.
Adesanya had lined up an amateur MMA fight against Neroni Savaiinaea just weeks after making the switch and had received very little training, most of which had been watching YouTube videos.
Despite the lack of preparation Adesanya was supremely confident he would win the fight. He only met Bareman the day before the fight and the trainer had no idea who he was but agreed to be in the Nigerian’s corner for the fight.
Unsurprisingly, Adesanya lost the bout after being well beaten by his opponent, spending two-thirds of the fight on his back.
“He got absolutely pasted, beaten, in every round, he showed some talent, but it was such a one-sided fight,” remembered Bareman.
When both men met again, Bareman simply was not interested in training the overconfident upstart.
“The lad just wanders into the gym telling me: ‘I chucked all my stuff in the car, left everything I had, I want to train at your gym’,” he recalled.
Instead he said that Israel should go and train elsewhere and even wrote down a few gyms for him to try.
“It was a bit of a test,” Bareman admitted.
“If a fighter goes away and has the ability to recognise that you’re doing something that will work for him, then that’s someone that deserves our attention (at City Kickboxing).
“I admit there was hesitation on my part because he seemed like a guy who was a little bit cocky and not that good.”
Adesanya did indeed leave after that comment but was soon back, insisting that City Kickboxing was where he had to be and actually it did not take too long for Bareman to reassess his opinion of the fighter.
“That [light-bulb] moment came when he had his first kickboxing fight for the gym,” Bareman admitted.
“He fought a guy that was much more experienced than him and he took the guy apart and while he was doing that he was entertaining the crowd. That’s when I thought man this kid is really talented.”
Both men went on to forge a formidable bond travelling round the world, competing in far-flung arenas across four continents while amassing a stunning record of 75 wins and 5 losses, with 48 of those wins coming by knockout.
Adesanya also found time to take up professional boxing, winning the New Zealand Super8 Boxing tournament in 2014 and again in 2015 and his record stands at 5 wins and one controversial loss on points.
In December 2017, he decided to sign with MMA’s highest profile and most lucrative company, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UF).
His debut was two months later. On his debut he knocked out Australia’s Rob Wilkinson at UFC 221 in the Australian city of Perth in a superb performance.
“Middleweights! I’m the new dog in the yard,” he boldly announced after the fight.
What most people did not see afterwards was a weeping warrior on his walk back to the dressing room alongside Bareman, overcome with emotion after finally making it to the big stage.
He subsequently backed up those brash words against tough competitors in the division defeating American Derek Brunson and the legendary Brazilian Anderson Silva.
He then outpointed American Kevin Gastelum to win the interim belt before knocking out New Zealand-born Australian Robert Whittaker in front of a record 57,125 fans at the Marvel Stadium in Melbourne to become the undisputed middleweight champion.
Two successful title defences against fearsome monsters, Cuban Yoel Romero and Brazilian Paulo Costa, have solidified his position at the top along with a perfect records of 20 wins and no losses with 15 knockouts.
His performances have also seen him win the $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus five times and Fight of the Night bonus two times.
Those performances and his personality have also seen him sign plenty of endorsements around the world including back in his native Nigeria and was on the cover of the EA Sports UFC 4 video game.
A win tomorrow will surely see him attract even more sponsors, even if it might scare away opponents.
The National Sports Commission (NSC) says it will no longer pay athletes training grants in foreign currency.
The development came after sprinter, Kayinsola Ajayi, alleged foul play regarding the disbursement of training grants by the Commission.
Head of NSC’s Elite Athletes Development and Podium Board, Yusuf Alli, told Tidesports source on Friday that it was wrong of Ajayi to rubbish the good intention of the NSC, saying: “I have been in athletics for over 40 years now, and this current NSC Board, led by Mallam Shehu Dikko and Bukola Olopade, has done what others could not do. So far, the NSC has spent over N200 million in payment of training grants for athletes ahead the 2026 Commonwealth Games and preparation for Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.”
The NSC sourced the money from the private sector. It has never happened before. “I expected the athletes to encourage the NSC so that it can do more instead of raising unnecessary alarm and making allegations that is capable of discouraging them (NSC) and even the sponsors. It takes good initiative and trust for sports administrators in Nigeria to convince sponsors to donate money for welfare of athletes,” he said.
Speaking further, Alli, whose long jump record of 8.27m set in 1989 (35 years ago) is still unbroken, said: “We have decided that henceforth, all payment of training grants will be in Naira. No more payment of grants in U.S. dollars. We are Nigerians, and everyone knows that the exchange rate is not stable. As at the time Ajayi got his money, the rate of dollars to Naira may have changed
“I expected him to make a call either to myself or anybody in the Elite Board, or even the NSC to find out what happened instead of resorting to such allegation.
“If we make payment in Naira, any athlete who wants to convert his or her money to any foreign currency can tell their people back home to do so. I am sure this will solve the problem. If anybody wants to know how much he is entitled to, he must first of all find out the category that he or she belongs to.”
Alli disclosed that coaches, who train the athletes would soon get their grant. “They train the athletes, and the NSC feel is it not proper to leave them out in payment of grants. We have compiled their names, and very soon, the coaches would get their money,” Alli stated.
The chairman of the Nigeria Premier Football League, Gbenga Elegbeleye, has directed that a minute’s silence be observed before kick-off at all Matchday 30 fixtures this weekend in honour of former Green Eagles captain Henry Nwosu, following the death of the former midfielder at the age of 62.
In a statement made available to Tidesports source on Saturday, the league body confirmed that the tribute would be held across all matches to recognise the contribution of the former international to Nigerian football.
Elegbeleye described Nwosu’s passing as both a personal loss and a painful moment for the country’s club football community.
Nwosu, who was the youngest member of Nigeria’s squad that won the 1980 African Cup of Nations, died in the early hours of Saturday at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital in Ikeja after a brief illness.
The former midfielder had reportedly spent several days in hospital receiving intensive care before his death.
Elegbeleye said the late footballer was more than a colleague within the sport, describing him as someone with whom he had maintained a long-standing personal relationship dating back to his time at the National Sports Commission.
He said the former national team star had remained supportive of him in various moments of his career, including when he was nominated for the Pitch Football Awards.
Reflecting on Nwosu’s legacy, the NPFL chairman said the news represented the loss of a major figure in Nigerian football, noting that the former midfielder distinguished himself not only at club level but also later contributed to the development of the domestic game as a coach.
Elegbeleye said the death of the former international was “the death of a true ambassador of the domestic and national team football because he not only made his mark as a player in league clubs, but he also coached some of the league clubs.”
He added that death remained a submission to the will of God and prayed for the repose of Nwosu’s soul while urging strength for his family as they mourn the loss of their loved one.
Earlier confirmation of the former midfielder’s death came from former Nigeria international Segun Odegbami, who revealed that Nwosu died after spending five days in hospital. Odegbami said the former player passed away at about four o’clock in the morning at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, where he had been receiving treatment in intensive care.
“It is with deep pain in my heart that I have to be the conveyor of the news of the death of Henry Nwosu MON,” Odegbami said.
“After five days in hospital battling for his life, the one I call ‘Youngest Millionaire’ passed on at four o’clock this morning at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja, Lagos, where he had been in intensive care since Wednesday. May he rest peacefully with our Creator in heaven”.
At the club level, the former international spent most of his career in Nigeria, starring for New Nigeria Bank FC of Benin City and African Continental Bank FC of Lagos during a period when both sides were among the dominant forces in domestic football. His performances later earned him moves abroad, where he also played for ASEC Mimosas of Ivory Coast and Racing FC Bafoussam of Cameroon.
