Nigerian fighter Israel Adesanya has been honoured with induction into the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Hall of Fame.
Naija News reports that the former two-time UFC middleweight champion was inducted into the Fight Wing yesterday at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, USA, for his remarkable bout against Kelvin Gastelum in 2019.
Adesanya triumphed over Gastelum by unanimous decision, achieving a record of four knockdowns during the title fight to secure the Interim UFC Middleweight Championship at UFC 236.
Other notable matchups, including Forrest Griffin vs. Stephan Bonnar, Matt Hughes vs. Frank Trigg II, and Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen, are also set to be inducted into the 2025 class.
“I was surprised,” Adesanya admitted in an interview in February after he found out he would be inducted.
“I was like Hall of Fame? I’m too young but I wouldn’t fight it, I’ll accept it. If they want to honour me like that I’ll take it. I’m very grateful.”
Meanwhile, the Director General of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Hon. Bukola Olopade, has dismissed growing speculation surrounding sprinter Favour Ofili’s alleged defection to Turkey, asserting that she remains a proud representative of Nigeria.
Speaking on Wednesday at a World Press Conference in Abuja ahead of the Confederation of African Athletics U-18 and U-20 Championships, Olopade, who also chairs the Local Organising Committee, emphasized that there has been no official confirmation of any nationality change for the track sensation.
“Favour Ofili is still representing Nigeria. She wrote to the NSC two months ago, reaffirming her commitment to compete for Nigeria,” Olopade stated.
“When I resumed as DG of the NSC, I called her personally and she confirmed her allegiance to Nigeria.”
Olopade also highlighted that Ofili is among 69 athletes who received financial grants from the NSC in April 2025 as part of ongoing national development initiatives, further affirming her active status as a Nigerian athlete.
“There has been no official communication from any international federation or national body indicating that she has switched allegiance. As far as the NSC is concerned, she remains a Nigerian athlete,” he added.
The NSC’s clarification comes amid widespread media reports suggesting that Ofili, holder of the women’s 150m world record and a key medal prospect for Nigeria, was considering transferring her allegiance to Turkey. The development had stirred heated debate within Nigeria’s athletics community.
Reacting to the reports, the President of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), Tonobok Okowa, expressed dismay and acknowledged past shortcomings in supporting the athlete.
“If this is true, it is sad, disheartening and painful,” Okowa said.
“But we are yet to get any official statement from her or from World Athletics. She is old enough to decide what’s best for her, but it is painful and hard to take for us.”
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