While most debuted UFC fighters were making peanuts, Israeli Adesanya walked away with six figures following his first appearance within the Octagon.
Today, “The Last Style Bender” is an undeniable legend of the sport and is the two-time UFC middleweight title holder. But just seven years ago, Adesanya was another world-class kickboxer trying to move to MMA. Squared with Rob Wilkinson in the promotional premiere at UFC 221, Adesanya delivered an epic performance, bloodied as he hit his opponent on the way to a second round of TKO.
At the time, most newcomers had 10k/10k contracts. This means that if you win, you can win $10,000 and another $10,000. Currently, contracts are almost the same, but usually start at 12k/12k.
But the “Style Bender” walked away with more than that.
“My UFC debut, I didn’t make 10 and 10 like everyone else, I made 6 numbers and made a 50k bonus on top of that,” Adesanya appeared on the Pond-4 pound podcast with Kamal Usman and Henry Sejude. “Who was the main event? I stole the show from Rockhold vs. Yoel. I felt like I stole the show, people were talking about me, and I was f*cking at the top of the world.”
Adesanya struggled following her UFC debut
Adesanya was on Cloud Nine following her highlight reel debut, but after the adrenaline worn out, he quickly returned to Earth.
“I’m going home and I’m just going to crash. I didn’t understand. For me, that’s when I started going to therapy.
Adesanya is currently sitting on a losing streak in the first three times of his career in any sport.
The “Stylebender” has yet to book a return to the Octagon since facing Nassoldeen’s Imavov in February, but it has revealed that a rematch with Sean Strickland is on his MMA bucket list.