Israel Adesanya has shed light on how his UFC debut pushed him to seek therapy. “The Last Stylebender” explained how going from the highs of MMA glory in the UFC back to the mundaneness of one’s personal life proved psychologically challenging.
Adesanya also revealed how much he made for his first UFC fight, which is much higher than the average new signee.
Israel Adesanya Explains Why He Went to Therapy After UFC Debut
Kickboxing veteran Israel Adesanya debuted in the world’s premier MMA organization, UFC, in a middleweight bout against Rob Wilkinson at UFC 221 in February 2018. He made a statement with his extraordinary striking skills in his maiden UFC appearance, stopping his opponent via second-round TKO. He won the “Performance of the Night” bonus for the fight.
He later enjoyed two reigns as the UFC Middleweight Champion. His second reign ended in September 2023, and he’s currently on a three-fight losing streak.
During a recent appearance on the “Pound 4 Pound” podcast, hosted by ex-UFC Welterweight Champion Kamaru Usman and former UFC Flyweight and Bantamweight Champion Henry Cejudo, Adesanya recalled struggling with mental health after his UFC debut.
“My UFC debut, I didn’t make 10K (show money) and 10K (win money) like everybody else. I made six figures, and then I made a 50k bonus on top of that. Stole the show from — who was the main event? [Luke] Rockhold vs. Yoel [Romero], I believe, Adesanya said.
“And I felt like I stole the show. People were talking about me. And I was f**king on top of the world … New dog in the yard. And I go home, and I just f**king crash. I didn’t understand.”
Feeling depressed despite the glorious win confused the Kiwi-Nigerian fighter, which in turn pushed him to go to therapy.
“So, for me, that’s when I started going to therapy because I realized, ‘Okay. I don’t wanna say this is bad, but it was bad.’ I was like, ‘Damn, I shouldn’t be sad.’ And you feel guilty for feeling sad. You’re like, ‘Why am I depressed?'”
Adesanya further explained, “So what I figured out — it’s the stimulus.”
The ex-middleweight kingpin indicated that the emotional turbulence was caused by going from being bombarded by stimuli—the lights, cameras, and other larger-than-life elements that come with being a UFC superstar—to the sudden silence, isolation, and absence of it all in one’s personal space at home.
Seemingly drawing parallels with caffeine stimulus, he added, “It’s like coffee. The coffee high, and then when the coffee stimulus wears off, you have the crash. So it’s like that but for your spirit.”
Moreover, Adesanya recounted that he didn’t know what to do then and had to learn how to manage his emotions efficiently in therapy. His UFC debut was followed by wins over Marvin Vettori (in their first encounter), Brad Tavares, and Derek Brunson.
Adesanya underscored that his fight against Brunson at UFC 230 in November 2018 was the first time he could “flow into life properly.” He added, “And I had already started going to therapy from my debut. So it helped.”
Adesanya last competed in February 2025 and was knocked out by Nassourdine Imavov. He recently hinted that he’d like to return to the octagon soon, potentially in a rematch against Sean Strickland.