UFC Middleweight champion Israel Adesanya's string of personal posts caused quite a stir in the MMA industry back in 2020. 

Despite being a UFC celebrity, he maintains an extremely private life. However, fans have been particularly interested in learning more about a mysterious woman who appeared on Adesanya's story before UFC 253 in September 2020.

There is widespread speculation among boxing fans that he might be in the early stages of a new relationship with his girlfriend.

In a 2020 interview on Ariel Helwani's MMA Show, Adesanya provided a hint into his personal life, which made his fans even more excited. 

The professional fighter talked about the forthcoming fight and what it was like to live and train at City Kickboxing to prepare for it. 

"Eat sleep train repeat, that was the vibe," he said of his two-week stay in the gym before his match with heavy-handed striker Paulo Costa.

When asked if he got a new cat, Adesanya stated that it was his girl that had got it.

He also expressed his sadness about the death of his old cat saying, “No I wasn’t going to get a new one but you know women.”

Besides that, the UFC star's gender identity has been a hot topic of discussion among the fans. While he has not openly addressed it, he certainly has teased the audience with some posts.

Adesanya Started Training at 18

Adesanya was born in Lagos, Nigeria, and moved to Rotorua, New Zealand, when he was ten years old. He began his training in kickboxing at 18 after being inspired by the Thai film Ong-Bak. 

Before coming to China and fighting there, Adesanya compiled a 32–0 amateur kickboxing record. 

The Nigerian native then moved to Auckland, New Zealand, at 21 and began training at City Kickboxing under Eugene Bareman, with other well-known MMA fighters such as Dan Hooker, Kai Kara-France, and Alexander Volkanovski.

Adesanya to Defend His Title against Marvin Vettori in June

Middleweight champion Adesanya will defend his title against Marvin Vettori at UFC 263 on June 12, as initially reported by Globo and verified during the UFC Fight Night: Reyes vs. Prochazka broadcast. This is a rematch from April 2018, where Adesanya won a split decision.

In an April 2019 fight with Kelvin Gastelum, Adesanya won the interim middleweight title before unifying the title by knocking out then-champion Robert Whittaker in October.

The UFC icon then stepped up to light heavyweight after successful title defenses against Yoel Romero and Costa, to become a two-division champion. 

Adesanya was defeated in a unanimous decision by 205-pound champion Jan Blachowicz. He proclaimed his intention to return to middleweight and defend his belt after his loss to Blachowicz.

With limited new opponents, many expected Whittaker to be given another opportunity at the title after a three-fight winning streak, which included a victory over Kelvin Gastelum on April 17.

Instead, Vettori received the call, guaranteeing a long-awaited rematch since Whittaker couldn't be ready in time, according to ESPN. 

Vettori has demanded another opportunity against one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the sport since his split decision loss to Adesanya in the champion's second Octagon appearance.