October 18, 2024

Celebrity Gambler – Israel Adesanya New Zealand Gamble Bender

Israel Mobolaji Adesanya, commonly known as “The Last Stylebender”, is probably one of the biggest names you’ll hear in the MMA world. The Nigerian-New Zealand mixed martial artist, inspired by the popular MuayThai film Ong-Bak, started kickboxing at the age of 18. He made his UFC debut in 2018, winning middleweight championships, a title he held for four years. His professional career started in 2012.

Adesanya has not only ruled the UFC world but is also a figure of influence in the NZ online casino world. He signed a partnership deal with Stake.com, becoming the first UFC brand ambassador of the leading crypto casino site. Popular celebrities, including Chris Brown and Drake, have also made bets worth thousands of dollars on the Kiwi fighter.

Israel Adesanya Statistics

Real Name Israel Adesanya 
Nick Name: The Last Stylebender 
Place of Birth Lagos, Nigeria 
Birthday July 22 1989 
Age 35 
Nationality Nigerian-New Zealander 
Career Mixed Martial Artist 
Fights out of Auckland, New Zealand 
Division Middleweight 
Height 6’3” 
Weight 185 lb 
High School Rotorua Boy’s High School 
College Universal College of Learning 
Marital Status Single 
Father’s Name Oluwafemi Adesanya 
Mother’s Name Taiwo Adesanya 
Claim to Fame Held UFC middleweight champion title for four years 
Net Worth $4 million (Estimated) 
Endorsement Deals Stake.com, Puma, Engage, PRIME 
Hobbies Dancing, Content Creator 

Israel Adesanya Achievements

Adesanya’s career in MMA has been rewarding and inspiring! The Auckland-based UFC fighter was born to the father, Oluwafemi Adesanya, who was an accountant, and the mother, Taiwo Adesanya, who was a nurse. He studied his primary education at Chrisland School, where he enrolled in the Taekwondo after-school club.

His stay at the taekwondo club didn’t last long, because his mother removed him after he had an injury. In 1999, Adesanya and his family moved to Ghana, where they stayed for less than a year before moving to Rotorua, New Zealand.

At 10, he attended Rotorua Boy’s High School, where he showed no interest in any sport. Instead, his interest was in Japanese anime. He was bullied while in high school, an ordeal experienced that pushed him to pursue martial arts later in life.

After completing high school, Adesanya attended Universal College of Learning and began pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Design. But by the time he was 18, kickboxing is what he loved most. He dropped out of college after 2 years to focus on kickboxing.

Later he entered amateur combat and won 32-0. He relocated to Auckland, New Zealand, at 21 where he trained in MMA at City Kickboxing with UFC fighters Dan Hooker and Alexander Volkanovski!

Israel Adesanya began boxing in 2012 and has a record of 5 wins and 1 loss. He also was a professional kickboxer in MMA, achieving 11 wins without any losses before he debuted in the UFC in 2018. The mixed martial artist from Nigeria is recognized for holding the UFC middleweight champion title for four years. He won against notable opponents like Kelvin Gastelum and Robert Whittaker.

Below are the top UFC fights that make Adesanya popular among the UFC community:

  • Anderson Silver vs Adesanya: The UFC234 fight took place on February 10, 2019, and was supposed to be Robert Whittaker vs. Kelvin Gastelum. However, this was changed at the last minute after Whittaker suffered an injury. Adesanya won the three-round event, putting his record at 16-0. He also earned the Fight of the Night honours.
  • Adesanya vs Kelvin Gastelum: The UFC236 saw Adesanya go head to head with Gastelum, where he won the fight. While the first two rounds tied, the judges scored the fifth round 10-8 in favor of Adesanya.
  • Adesanya vs Robert Whittaker: UFC243, which took place on October 6 2019, is another fight that made Adesanya the undisputed middleweight champion.

Betting on Israel Adesanya

Since his UFC debut in 2018, Israel Adesanya has been getting serious attention, especially from the gambling community. His exemplary performance in the ring has drawn the attention of popular celebrity gamblers, with some placing bets worth thousands of dollars. Chris Brown is one of the celebrities who have, placed huge bets on Adesanya.

On August 16 2024, “The Last Stylebender” posted a screenshot showing Chris Brown’s huge wager of $150,000 with the caption “Shoutout Breezy!” In the bet, the Grammy-award-winning superstar predicted that Adesanya would win UFC 305 against Dricus du Plessis. UFC 305 took place a day later with du Plessis winning against Adesanya. Had Adesanya won the fight, Chris Brown would have walked home with a staggering $276,000.

The hip-hop star Drake is another celebrity gambler who doesn’t shy away from backing “The Last Stylebender.” In September 2023, Drake placed a bet on Adesenya to beat Sean Strickland at UFC293. He wagered a whopping $500,000 but lost the bet after Adesenya was knocked by Strickland.

Drake also placed another bet in August 2024, predicting that Adesenya would beat Dricus du Plessis at UFC 305. He staked $450,000 but lost the bet after Adesenya was defeated by Dricus. If Adesenya had won the fight, Drake would have won an impressive $855,000.

Drake suffered another BIG loss in 2022 when he bet on Adesanya to beat Alex Pereira at UFC 281. The rapper reportedly lost a record $1.59 million. He, however, made a comeback in 2023 after betting on Adesanya to win against Pereira at UFC287. This bet reportedly earned him around $2.7 million in winnings.

Most betting fans, especially those who focus on UFC, usually refer to Drake’s bets as “Drake Curse” due to his losing streak. They believe that every time he places a bet, he curses the athlete or the team he backs. In other words, the athlete he backs must lose.

Israel Adesenya X Stake

Israel Adesanya’s popularity extends to the corporate world. He has received sponsorship deals worth millions of dollars from companies, including online betting platforms! One such company is Stake.com, a crypto betting site offering different forms of betting, including UFC, Football, and Basketball.

“The Last Stylebender” signed the partnership deal in 2021, becoming the first UFC global brand ambassador of the platform. Through the partnership deal, Adesanya’s fans, who are in excess of 10 million, will receive exclusive promotions, betting resources & tips, and VIP experiences. The partnership also aims to improve UFC betting products, add more casino games, and improve crypto payment methods.

“Stake is the world’s leading crypto betting platform and I’m very pleased to be sponsored by them. They’ve risen to the top of their field very quickly and the partnership presents the perfect opportunity to align with a brand whose ethos and ambitions so closely reflect mine. The collaboration will see us create many unique opportunities for Stake.com users and I can’t wait to meet and interact with their community throughout the partnership.”

What Adesanya had to say about the partnership

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