Middleweight champion Israel Adesanya has signed a new multi-fight contract with the UFC, in what is being described as ‘one of the most lucrative deals in company history’.
The New Zealand native boasts an impressive record of 21 wins and one loss, with his only defeat coming last year when Adesanya moved up a weight class to fight light heavyweight Jan Błachowicz.
And now according to his management team Paradigm Sports, who also represent Conor McGregor, the middleweight titleholder ‘will be one of the top paid athletes in the history of mixed martial arts.’
New Zealander Israel Adesanya has signed a lucrative new multi-fight contract with the UFC
Adesanya boasts an impressive 21-1-0 record and is the reigning UFC middleweight champion
In a Paradigm Sports press release, Tim Simpson said: ‘We are very happy with the terms of Israel’s new promotional agreement with UFC.
‘Israel truly deserves to be the position that he’s in and we look forward to several more prosperous years with UFC.’
‘The agreement was finalised last week after several months of negotiations, ahead of Adesanya’s much anticipated title-defence against Robert Whittaker at UFC 271.’
The finer details of the new contract remain undisclosed.
The 32-year-old Adesanya will be taking on Whittaker for the second time in February, having already defended his middleweight title against the Australian back in October 2019.
Adesanya will fight Robert Whittaker for the second time in his career at UFC 271 in February
In the lead up to the fight, the ‘Last Stylebender’ has made some bold claims ahead of his title defence.
Speaking to Stake, Adesanya said: ‘My prediction is that I am going to f*** Whittaker up, again. He can’t stand with me, so I know he will be forced to grapple.
‘Last time he said ‘Kevin Gastelum has given the blueprint on how to beat Adesanya’ and now he’s saying ‘Jan has given the blueprint’… he needs to write his own blueprint.
‘If he wants to copy someone else’s work, then by all means try, because it went so well last time for him when we fought… There has been no cutting corners this time.
‘It’s made me even more motivated to do it again and do it more decisively if that’s even possible. That is my motivation for this fight, to get up and beat him again in an even more devastating fashion.’
Israel Adesanya’s last fight was against Marvin Vettori in a defence of the middleweight belt
