Athletes often tend to lose their financial plot once they are exposed to a significant amount of money. A prominent example of the same is Mike Tyson, who went from being a celebrated boxer to being bankrupt in no time. But for Israel Adesanya, his father proved to be a pillar as he revealed how his dad saved a young and extravagant fighter from dire straits. His father, Femi Adesanya, serves as Israel’s accountant till date.
It was his financial intelligence that instilled the sense of monetary responsibility in the UFC athlete’s head. Speaking on the ‘Mighty Cast’ podcast on YouTube, the 34-year-old got blunt and honest about his father’s role in his life.
“The Last Stylebender” opened up to Demetrious Johnson, mentioning how his father, much like Khabib Nurmagomedov’s late father, was always by his side. As a chartered accountant, Israel’s father wasn’t in his corner like the late Abdulmanap, but instead, he made sure that the young fighter wasn’t broke. Speaking about the same Israel Adesanya said,
“Shout out to my dad because my dad has quadrupled my net worth…So my first UFC pay cheque, the first thing I bought was my house and then now we’ve grown the portfolio quite largely and that’s all thanks to my dad because he saw a vision.”
‘Izzy‘ admitted that listening to his dad was the best thing he did to maintain financial stability. He also mentioned that his father advised him to invest in a house rather than spend his entire “six-figure” savings lavishly after he earned a significant amount competing as a kickboxer in China.
Though a young, hot-headed Adesanya did not pay heed to his old man’s advice that time, as time rolled by, the kickboxer realized the harsh reality of life and finally came to his senses. And that’s when he started listening to his father’s words. The 34-year-old is now one of the highest-paid fighters in the promotion and, all thanks to his father and his wise words, he has now started a business of his own.
Very recently, Israel has started a new real estate business in New Zealand, ensuring that he doesn’t overspend his earnings and keeps the dough rolling with an alternate income source.
Israel Adesanya’s latest venture is guided by his father
Last month, Adesanya unveiled a new property development in NZ. The fighter announced his latest venture on ‘X.’ According to the video shared by the UFC star on social media, his father played a key role in this development. He advised his son to invest in something worthwhile that would essentially improve his finances considerably.
According to ‘Punch’, a publishing outlet, Adesanya’s father was seen in the video during a housewarming saying,
“The idea is that after fighting, Israel needs to have something solid as investment. So, we decided that we were going to go for property development so that one, physically, he can see what he is putting together. And secondly, the investment can be protected.
With his father backing and supporting him with timely advice, Israel Adesanya can certainly focus fully on his MMA career.
