Israel Adesanya vows to never fight in New Zealand [Video]

Nigerian-born New Zealand professional mixed martial artist (MMA) Israel Mobolaji Adesanya is set for to return to the octagon in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)

The 32-year-old Adesanya is the reigning UFC Middleweight champion.

Adesanya will face number one contender Jared Cannonier at UFC 276 at the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada, Las Vegas Metropolitan Area in the United States of America.

In the early hours of Tuesday, June 21, 2022 Adesanya spoke at a press conference ahead of the fight.

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At a packed press conference for UFC 276 and 277 in Sydney, Adesanya was with Australian legend Alexander Volkanovski and another fighter from New Zealand Kai Kara-France.

Adesanya who was brought by his nana in New Zealand revealed why he will not fight in his adopted country.

The reason was because Adesanya does not approve of the way the country treats their fighters.

The decision was based on how fighters in New Zealand were treated in the pandemic 

He said, (UFC) is not as hailed in the (New Zealand) media, as much as you guys (Australia) hail your champions.

“This is something I think they’re missing out on, and 20 years down the line I think they’re going to kick themselves and say we should’ve gotten behind these guys and we shouldn’t have tried to break up their camp, while other teams were able to have their isolated camps.

“Because of the way they treated Dan and my team I will never fight in New Zealand ever again - that’s why if I ever do a stadium show again, f**k it, I’ll do it in Australia.”

Adesanya stated he will never fight in New Zealand on his official YouTube channel.

He said, “You will never see me fight in New Zealand ever again.

"All that money, they can get it from somewhere else. Their rugby's, their crickets and all the others they're giving exemptions to, but you will never ever see me fight on these shores [again].

"That was one of my dreams, to headline a stadium in my backyard. That dream's dead in the water. that's just the way I feel right now"

Adesanya takes on Cannonier at UFC 276 scheduled to take place on Saturday, July 2.