Nigeria is a very corrupt place – Israel Adesanya laments
Sophia Hammond
Updated on April 07, 2026
New Zealander-Nigerian mixed martial artist Israel Adesanya has characterized his birth country as a nation with high levels of corruption.
Israel discussed the well-documented issues of corruption in the country on a recent episode of the Hotboxin’ podcast.
Although his comments highlighted the deep admiration he has for Nigeria, he believes that levels of corruption hamper the progress and growth potential of the country.
ALSO READ: 5 Nigerian fighters dominating the UFC
He noted that many Nigerian leaders have engaged in unethical practices, such as embezzlement of public funds.
According to the fighter, “Nigeria is a very corrupt place. I love my people but it is just that the government; everyone trying to find a way to siphon money.”
At UFC 287 on Saturday, April 9, 2023, Israel delivered a powerful knockout performance to defeat Alex Pereira and reclaim the Middleweight Championship.
The victory was made even more meaningful by his donning the Nigerian flag afterwards.
Watch the clip below
"Nigeria is a very corrupt place"
– Israel Adesanya
— 🐬 @𝗼𝗻𝗲𝗷𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗯𝗼𝘆 (@OneJoblessBoy) April 11, 2023
Israel beats Pereira to recover title
The Nigerian-born athlete recovered his middleweight throne with a second-round knockout win over Alex Pereira.
The opening round was slow and tough to score in. Pereira began with several low kicks that hit, while Adesanya threw in several punches, but there were few notable strikes.
ALSO READ: Nigerian Anthony Joshua wins heavyweight fight against Jermaine Franklin
The fight’s lull came to an abrupt and brutal end; Pereira pressed against the cage until Adesanya took him out with an incredible knockout.
The victory is expected by many to be a weight lifted off Adesanya’s shoulders. Throughout his martial arts career, Pereira has been a thorn in his side – when they were both kickboxers, the two battled twice, and Pereira won both times.
With Pereira having won the first one in the Octagon, Adesanya needed to win this one.
