Adesanya launches neon pink hair ahead of title defense

 

Nigerian-born New Zealander Israel Adesanya has worn a new look ahead of his UFC title defense against Paulo Costa on September 19.

The UFC middleweight champion gave his hair a neon pink touch as part of the preparation for the showdown.

The unbeaten New Zealander showed the dramatic new cut on Instagram.Adesanya’s hair had been bleach blonde, but switched styles to reveal an even brighter look. Die-hard fans of the sport are looking forward to the clash between the 31 year old Nigerian and 29-year-old Brazilian Costa.

The pair will headline UFC 253, which promoter Dana White tipped to take place on Fight Island.

White said: “We’ll be announcing soon. But obviously it’s looking like Fight Island.

“A lot of the big fights that are international are going to be on Fight Island.

“I told everybody the last time we were there, people sort of thought this was a one-and-done or whatever, it’s not.

“We’re going to be at Fight Island. Abu Dhabi is going to end up being the fight capital of the world. It definitely isn’t Las Vegas.”

The UFC hosted three events on Fight Island throughout July, starting with Jorge Masvidal’s welterweight title shot against Kamaru Usman. It headlined UFC 251 and sold 1.3million pay-per-views.

Usman’s points win over fan-favourite Masvidal was the promotion’s greatest box office success since Khabib Nurmagomedov beat Conor McGregor in 2018.

Before taking up fighting, Lagos boy Adesanya it will be recalled regularly competed in dance competitions across New Zealand. He highlighted his passion for dance in a choreographed walkout at UFC 243.

Read AlsoUFC: Fans react after Adesanya’s lackluster title defence against Romero

Adesanya is a fan of anime and would like to start an anime production company after retiring from fighting. His nickname “The Last Stylebender” is a reference to Avatar: The Last Airbender, an anime-influenced cartoon series.