UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya has opened up on his struggles with dyslexia ahead of the release of a children’s book based on his life.
In the current mixed martial arts climate, few fighters have been as successful as Israel Adesanya. The man known as ‘Stylebender’ has turned back everyone he’s faced at 185 pounds and since becoming the champ, he’s slowly but surely been cementing his legacy as one of the most consistent performers in the sport - and his star power has been rising alongside that, too.
Of course, we all know nothing lasts forever in this game, but there’s definitely something to be said for a champion being this proactive and willing to take on any challengers that come his way.
The rise of Izzy began when he first entered MMA but as we all know, every fighter has a journey that starts long before that.
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In order to tell that story properly, Adesanya enlisted the help of writer David Riley to produce a children’s book that details how he was able to make it to such lofty heights.
After being shown the first official copy after training recently, Adesanya gave a speech about what this latest move means to him.
Video: Israel Adesanya opens up about childhood struggles
“I like the idea of having my story written especially for kids, because I know what it was like for me learning how to read and also loving to draw and illustrate, dyslexic, and a little bit slow sometimes.”
Israel went on to directly thank both the author and illustrator of the book, titled ‘Freestyle: The Israel Adesanya Story’.
“Thank you, I just wanna say, because a lot of things like this don’t really happen often, especially from a genuine person in this position, so thank you for taking time. I know it took a little while, but thank you for getting this done.”
Climbing the mountain (again)
Later this year at UFC 281 in New York City, Israel Adesanya will defend the UFC middleweight championship against Alex Pereira.
Read more: UFC 281: Fight Card, tickets, date and more
The Brazilian sensation is just 3-0 since signing for the promotion but his latest knockout triumph over Sean Strickland was enough to convince Dana White that he deserves a crack at the king.
As many of you know, the pair have met twice before in the kickboxing world with ‘Poatan’ coming out on top on both occasions, adding an extra sense of unpredictability to what was already a fascinating match-up.