Israel Adesanya reveals surprising details about UFC debut salary
Israel Adesanya reveals surprising details about UFC debut salary
Israel Adesanya didn't earn the average salary for his UFC debut. He made well north of it.
Adesanya (24-5 MMA, 13-5 UFC) entered the UFC with some buzz from his decorated kickboxing career and drew Rob Wilkinson in his promotional debut at UFC 221 in February 2021. He won by second-round TKO and was one of two Performance of the Night winners in Perth, Australia.
"My UFC debut, I didn't make the 10 and 10 (thousand) like everyone else," Adesanya said on the "Pound 4 Pound" podcast. "I made six figures and then I made a 50K bonus on top of that. Stole the show from – who was the main event? (Luke) Rockhold vs. Yoel (Romero), I believe. I felt like I stole the show, people were talking about me, and I was f*cking on top of the world."
Despite the standout performance, Adesanya didn't feel the high he expected.
"I'd go home, and I'd just f*cking crash," Adesanya said. "I didn't understand. For me, that's when I started going to therapy because I realized like OK, this is – I don't want to say this is bad, but it was bad. I was like, 'Damn, I shouldn't be sad.' And then you feel guilty for feeling sad. You're like, 'Why am I depressed?'
"I figured it out. It's the stimulus. You're the man, this, that, cameras, lights, action. Then I go home, and I'm in my dark room, and I just chill, and there's no stimulus. It's like coffee. The coffee high, and then when the coffee stimulus wears off, you have the crash. It's like that but for your spirit."
Adesanya said it took until his fourth UFC fight against Derek Brunson to figure out how to regulate his emotions. "The Last Stylebender" went on to have a Hall of Fame worthy career by capturing the UFC middleweight title twice, with five title defenses in his first reign.
Adesanya, 35, is currently on a three-fight losing streak after suffering a second-round TKO loss to Nassourdine Imavov on Feb. 1.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
39 minutes ago
- USA Today
Mario Bautista vs. Patchy Mix prediction, pick, start time for UFC 316
Mario Bautista vs. Patchy Mix prediction, pick, start time for UFC 316 Patchy Mix finally gets the chance to prove himself on the biggest stage at UFC 316. Will Mario Bautista spoil his debut? Mario Bautista and Patchy Mix meet Saturday on the main card of UFC 316 at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. Check out this quick breakdown of the matchup from MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom. Last event: 3-2 UFC main cards, 2025: 49-41-1 Mario Bautista vs. Patchy Mix UFC 316 preview Bautista (15-2 MMA, 9-2 UFC) has the opportunity to play spoiler in the debut of a big-name bantamweight with championship promise. Entering on a seven-fight winning streak, Bautista is confident that he can extend his victorious run. In 2024, Bautista, 31, picked up the two biggest wins of his career thus far in decision wins over Ricky Simon and UFC Hall of Famer Jose Aldo. ... Mix (20-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) finally gets his chance to prove his skills in the UFC. The former Bellator champion has widely been considered to be one of the best bantamweights on the planet. Frustration with lack of fights led to his exit from the PFL. Mix's last appearance was a split decision win over Magomed Magomdeov last May to record his second Bellator title defense. Mario Bautista vs. Patchy Mix UFC 316 expert pick, prediction Serving as a solid bantamweight attraction is a matchup between Bautista and Mix. Making his long-awaited promotional debut on short notice, this opportunity has been something that Mix has low-key been preparing for for some time now. That said, Bautista is a deceptively tough test that deserves to be acknowledged. Bautista isn't exactly Mr. Popular at the moment after banking a controversial decision over fan favorite Jose Aldo at UFC 307 last year, but that doesn't change the fact that he's an incredibly well-rounded fighter who is on a serious 7-fight win streak. Mix's win streak could also be overlooked for similar reasons coming off of his last fight, but that was well over a year ago as I suggest leaving some room to be surprised as far as potential skill jumps go. It's hard to say exactly how comfortable Bautista is against UFC-level southpaws given that he has a limited 1-1 sample size, but I do wonder how well his game will function without the outlet of his grappling. And though Bautista is a sound scrambler who gets stronger as the fight goes on, he does tend to surrender a lot of takedowns and positions early that Mix could make hay with. A submission win from the final Bellator champion shouldn't shock anyone, but I'll officially pick Mix to edge out a decision over Bautista in a fight that I see being ultra-competitive down the stretch. Mario Bautista vs. Patchy Mix UFC 316 odds The oddsmakers and the public favor the final Bellator champion, listing Mix -180 and Bautista +146 via FanDuel. Mario Bautista vs. Patchy Mix UFC 316 start time, how to watch Bautista and Mix are expected to walk to the cage at approximately 9:40 p.m. ET. The fight broadcasts on ESPN+ pay-per-view.
Indianapolis Star
an hour ago
- Indianapolis Star
What channel is UFC 316 fight card on tonight? Start time, how to watch, where to stream
UFC 316 stops at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. Saturday night. Who will win the bantamweight championship in the rematch between Merab Dvalishvili vs. Sean O'Malley? Can Kayla Harrison stop Julianna Peña for the women's bantamweight title? Here's your guide to UFC 316 fight card, schedule and how to watch. Live coverage of UFC 316 preliminary card action kicks off at 6 p.m. ET, Saturday, June 7. Catch all the UFC action from Newark, N.J., through ESPN, ESPN+ and pay-per-view. ESPN+ subscription is required to purchase PPV. Watch the 2025 Belmont Stakes on Fubo with a free trial Some UFC 316 preliminary card fights will be broadcast on ESPN at 8 p.m. ET Saturday, June 7, 2025. The 6 p.m. preliminary card will be available on ESPN+ and the main card is available for pay-per-view at 10 p.m. Watch UFC 316 preliminary fights on ESPN+ UFC 316 streaming options include ESPN+ and pay-per-view. Preliminary card fights on ESPN+ begin at 6 p.m. ET, Saturday, June 7, 2025. The main PPV fight card is at 10 p.m. ET, Saturday, June 7, 2025. Details below: Watch UFC 316 preliminary fights on ESPN+ The UFC 316 main fight card begins at 10 p.m. ET, Saturday, June 7, 2025.
USA Today
2 hours ago
- USA Today
Kelvin Gastelum vs. Joe Pyfer prediction, pick, start time for UFC 316
Kelvin Gastelum vs. Joe Pyfer prediction, pick, start time for UFC 316 Middleweights Kelvin Gastelum and Joe Pyfer have been rebooked for the UFC 316 main card. Will striking be the determining factor? Kelvin Gastelum and Joe Pyfer meet Saturday on the main card of UFC 316 at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. Check out this quick breakdown of the matchup from MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom. Last event: 3-2 UFC main cards, 2025: 49-41-1 Kelvin Gastelum vs. Joe Pyfer UFC 316 preview Gastelum (19-9 MMA, 13-9 UFC) will aim to make it back-to-back wins for the first time since 2017-18. The former interim title challenger has gone 3-5 since that opportunity for a piece of the title. However, he's 2-1 over his last three, including a unanimous decision over Daniel Rodriguez in his last appearance a year ago. ... Pyfer (13-3 MMA, 4-1 UFC) also looks to stay in the win column and make it two in a row after a first-round stoppage of Marc-Andre Barriault last year. Pyfer's lone UFC loss came in the fight prior, a unanimous decision against Jack Hermansson. Thus far, Pyfer has yet to reach the judges in his victorious UFC outings. Kelvin Gastelum vs. Joe Pyfer UFC 316 expert pick, prediction Filling out the main card is a middleweight rebooking between Gastelum and Pyfer. This was initially slated to take place a couple of months back in Mexico City, but Pyfer notably fell ill at the eleventh hour and the fight was moved to this weekend. Gastelum looks to be in solid shape coming into this contest, but it's impossible to deny his lack of size in this division and the lack of consistency he's shown throughout this back half of his career. I suspect that Pyfer will hit his own hard ceilings in this division, but I also believe that he's a better wrestler and grappler than he's given credit for – which is particularly relevant to this matchup given Gastelum's traditional weaknesses. Add in the fact that Pyfer comes from a grappling-heavy camp that's currently red-hot in the UFC and already owns wins over his opponent, and I can't help but pick Pyfer to roll here. The official pick is Pyfer by submission in Round 2. Kelvin Gastelum vs. Joe Pyfer UFC 316 odds The oddsmakers and the public favor the Contender Series product, listing Pyfer -420 and Gastelum +310 via FanDuel. Kelvin Gastelum vs. Joe Pyfer UFC 316 start time, how to watch Gastelum and Pyfer are expected to walk to the cage at approximately 10:10 p.m. ET. The fight broadcasts on ESPN+ pay-per-view.
