Nigerian-born UFC star Israel Adesanya predicts that Nigerians will dominate MMA
Adesanya also plans to build a chain of gyms to help talents in Nigeria.
Nigerian-born UFC star Israel Adesanya has predicted that Nigerians and Africans will dominate Mixed martial arts.
Adesanya is one of the Nigerians thriving in the UFC, which is the biggest MMA promotion company and hopes he can lead the charge to make the sport very popular in Nigeria.
“Right now, what want to do in Nigeria is introduce them to Martial Arts, take the football soccer out of their heads and show them some gloves,” the 30-year-old said on the Joe Rogan Podcast.
“We have some great boxers, we have this thing called Dambe which is the Nigerian wrestling, kind of like the Senegalese type of wrestling.”
“I want to go back next year, I hope they see the possibilities, cause I'm telling you,” he further said.
“It was Brazil at first in the early stages of the MMA, then Japan, then America. It always goes back and forth, The Oceanic people, we are doing some work but the Africans, once they start stepping in, it's going to be like when 50 Cent dropped In da Club and killed the whole game for a while.
“They are going to run the game for a long time. I'm happy to be the guy that's kinda like paving the way.”
Nigerians in the UFC
Adesanya is only the second African-born champion in the UFC after another fighter of Nigerian descent Kamaru Usman who is the Welterweight Champion.
“Kamaru is the first, I'm the second, see guys like Sodiq (Yusuff), the first time I watched him fight live in Adelaide, I was watching him cage side and he was hitting this guy with body shots and you could hear the pounding. I' telling you man there is a few more coming.”
Just before his last fight, which was against Robert Whittaker, Adesanya who is now the UFC Middleweight Champion visited Nigeria for the first time since he left to New Zealand.
He explained how impressed he was with the level of talent he saw in Nigeria and revealed that he is planning to build a chain of gyms in the country.
“I want to clean out some of the gyms I went to. Like the sports stadium, I want to help them with some stuff,” he said.
“I really want to open a chain of gyms.”
Adesanya was born in Lagos, Nigeria but moved to New Zealand with his parents when he was 11.
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