Israel Adesanya reveals he was depressed for weeks after UFC debut

Despite making a six-figure payday on his UFC debut, Israel Adesanya was left depressed for weeks following the fight. Fame can often have an overbearing impact on individuals and Adesanya learned that the hard way following his octagon debut at UFC 221 in February 2018.

'The Last Stylebender' fought Rob Wilkinson on the night and picked up an emphatic second-round TKO victory, putting the entire middleweight division on notice. Following the win, when Adesanya was spending some alone time at the after-party, a fan walked up to him and tried to initiate a conversation.

Despite the Nigerian-born New Zealander asking the fan to let him be for a while, he was reluctant to leave without a picture. While he obliged and allowed him to take the picture, Adesanya said he went into depression for a couple of weeks after the incident. During an interview with Brian J. Roberts of All Goats TV, he said:

"At one point at the after party, I sat on the couch in the corner and some guy was like, "Bro, what the f**k, are you all right?" I'm like, 'yeah, I'm just chilling.' He's like, "You sure?" I'm like, 'yeah, I just need some time to myself.' And he's like, 'yeah, I understand,' and he proceeds to sit down next to me...Eventually I kinda had to be like, 'bro, do you just mind?' and he's like, 'Oh, but can I get a photo?' I was like, 'you just had one already' and he was like, 'oh.' I was like, 'okay, just take your photo'...But then I go home, and when I finally go home, I got depressed for about a week and a half, two weeks."

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What's next for Israel Adesanya?

Following his unanimous decision win over Robert Whittaker in their rematch at UFC 271 earlier this month, Adesanya has now set his sights on Jared Cannonier. Cannonier picked up a knockout victory over Derek Brunson at UFC 271 and called out the reigning champ.

Israel Adesanya previously mentioned that he wants some "fresh meat" in the 185lbs division and it's likely he'll get what he wants. The champion said he's willing to return to the octagon in June. If Cannonier agrees to fight him then, fans could be treated to an intriguing battle between two of the best strikers in the division.