SUMMARY
- Israel Adesanya's body is adorned with various designs inked all over his body.
- Each one of those tattoos has a significant meaning behind it.
Israel Adesanya is a Nigerian-New Zealander professional kickboxer turned mixed martial artist. Adesanya, aka ‘The Last Stylebender’, currently competes in the middleweight division of the UFC, where he is ranked #2. Adesanya is undoubtedly one of the most recognizable faces on the UFC roster at present. He is also a former two-time Middleweight Champion of the UFC.
Israel Adesanya is widely regarded as one of the best, if not the best, strikers in the promotion’s history. There are very few others who can claim to be better than Izzy when it comes to kickboxing. But other than his undeniable prowess inside the Octagon, there is something else that Adesanya is popularly known for.
The 34-year-old is also known for his various hobbies and interests outside of the fight game, which has allowed him to build a stronger connection with his fans. His love for anime, especially Naruto, is well documented through his actions over the years. Furthermore, his body is adorned with various designs inked all over it. All of his tattoos share one thing in common.
And that is the fact that each one of those tattoos has a significant meaning behind it. All designs have had a reason to be inked on his body. Let’s take a deep dive into his most recent tattoo and also talk about his other tattoos.
What does Israel Adesanya’s face tattoo stand for?
It was on January 15, 2023, when Israel Adesanya revealed his most recent tattoo on social media. The video portraying the said face tattoo was titled with a caption saying, “The old version of you must die before you come alive!”
For those fans who are thinking, Why the dragon emoji? The dragon emoji was very well justified because of what the tattoo meant. The tattoo was the Arabic word for ‘Dragon’. While minimalistic, the tattoo held a similar sentimental value to Adesanya’s other tattoos, especially considering the phase in which he got it inked.
The old version of you must die before you come alive! 🐲 pic.twitter.com/b10RIQXZbj
— Israel Adesanya (@stylebender) January 15, 2023
Israel got this tattoo inked just two months after his loss against Alex Pereira in November 2022. It carried the solemn undertone of a fighter who had recently suffered a loss but had not yet been defeated. But what about the location of the tattoo? Was it just random, or did it carry significance with it as well? A closer look at the video shows us the exact inspiration behind the tattoo’s placement.
As documented over the years, Israel Adesanya has a very close affinity with anime, especially Naruto. And his face tattoo also has a direct correlation with the shonen. One of the most famous characters from Naruto, Gaara, also has a tattoo over his eyebrow in the anime. Gaara’s tattoo spells out ‘Ai,’ which is a Japanese word for ‘love.’
Israel Adesanya’s other tattoos and what they mean
Israel Adesnaya doesn’t just have a singular tattoo, though. Apart from the ‘Dragon’ face tattoo, Adesanya has nine more inks on his body. Probably the earliest tattoo that Israel Adesanya got was the one across his breastplate. It reads, ‘BROKEN NATIVE‘ in bold capital letters. It is a tattoo that reminds Izzy of where he came from and how hard he has struggled to reach where he is in life.
Right below the first tattoo is another tattoo that depicts a map of Africa that has a lion embedded in it. The tattoo highlights the nation of Nigeria. This is a representation of Adesanya’s origins and the place where he took birth.
Like the tattoo on the inner side of his right arm of Toph, aka the Blind Bandit, who is a very powerful Earthbender from the show Avatar the Last Airbender. He also has a tattoo of Kurama’s seal around his belly button, which is a Naruto reference. Maybe signifying how there is a beast that resides in him. He also has a tattoo that gives a nod to the popular cartoon Calvin and Hobbes on his right bicep.
Israel also has a Deadpool tattoo holding guns with both hands crossed over each other across the left side of his abdomen. He also has a werewolf tattoo on his right shoulder, which signifies the loyalty and perseverance of a person. They also stand for the good and the evil within a person.
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However, he has another tattoo across the left side of his neck. It is that of a hawk. But it is no regular hawk. Israel Adesanya has called the tattoo ‘Montu’. In Egyptian mythology, Montu refers to the falcon god and commands recognition as the God of War. Last but not least, Adesanya has a tattoo of his pet dog, ‘Millionaire’, tattooed across the right side of his neck, which shows his love for the pet.