Nigerian-born former UFC middleweight champion, Israel Adesanya, has revealed that he was left almost financially handicapped after losing to Alex Pereira at Glory of Heroes 1 in Shenzhen, China, on April 2, 2016.
After the defeat, Israel Adesanya said he found himself in an incredibly tough situation, with only $500 left to his name, barely enough to cover a weekβs worth of groceries.
It was during this desperate time that his coach, Eugene Bareman, came to his rescue and provided him with much-needed financial support.
Israel Adesanya said, βWhen I was fighting in China and I lost to Alex, they stopped giving me fights. I think, at the time, I was the highest-paid foreign fighter in China, but then they stopped giving me fights.β
As his finances were rapidly reducing, he had to plead with his promoters to give him more fights, saying, βLook, I have seven more fights on my contract. Can I at least just get three? I just need three.β
This stands in stark contrast to Adesanyaβs recent high-profile UFC career, marked by both victories and losses in the middleweight title bouts.
Despite facing recent setbacks, such as losses to Sean Strickland and Dricus du Plessis, Adesanya remains resolute and determined not to give up.
In a recent interview on The Adam Carolla Show, he expressed his eagerness to step into the octagon once more before the yearβs end or early next year.
βAt the moment, I want to fight one more time before the end of this year, or early next year. But I donβt know yet. Iβm just training, building off where we left off,β Adesanya said.
As Adesanya plans his comeback, fans and experts alike await with anticipation to see what the future holds for the resilient and dynamic fighter, who has proven his strength both inside and outside the octagon.
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