"You can't undersell my value" - Israel Adesanya opens up on his relationship with UFC after signing new lucrative multi-fight deal

Israel Adesanya recently spoke about his contract extension with the UFC after signing what is touted to be "one of the most lucrative multi-fight deals in company history."

Adesanya, who faces Robert Whittaker in a championship rematch during Saturday's UFC 271, opened up about his status with the company. During the UFC 271 media day presser, 'The Last Stylebender' said:

"The thing I wanna know is, what's my value to the company? You can't undersell my value. If you are, you're kidding yourself. I bring so many different looks to this company, even without trying. I'm Nigerian, I brought that whole nation. Me and the three kings, the continent of Africa is on our backs. I wear it on my chest. We have the Oceanian region looking at us. I'm a guy who crosses over to the mainstream so easily. I have this appeal. I know I have that 'it' thing."

The Aucklander added that he hopes his new deal will lead to positive changes for his fellow fighters. The UFC middleweight champion continued:

"So I'm glad the UFC is starting to see that. They've already known that. They knew this since the jump but, yeah, I'm just a guy who deals [about] what my deal is with the UFC behind the scenes. I'm glad we came to an agreement with this new deal and I look forward to this effect trickling down to the rest of the fighters."

Check out Israel Adesanya's comments below:

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What we know about Israel Adesanya's new contract

Israel Adesanya's management team, Paradigm Sports, announced that the Nigerian-born champion has re-signed with the UFC after "several months of negotiation."

In a press release acquired by Sportskeeda MMA, Paradigm Sports' senior vice president Tim Simpson stated he's happy with the terms of Adesanya's promotional agreement with the company.

The exact value of the contract hasn't been disclosed. However, Adesanya described the contract as a "f***ing big deal," adding that he believes he's now the second-highest-paid fighter on the promotion's roster. Conor McGregor is presumably the highest-paid athlete on the UFC pay roll.