Former UFC middleweight champ Israel Adesanya is feeling like a new man at the beginning of the new year. As such, Izzy recently added to his large collection of ink as he showed off his new tattoos. Alongside a brand-new tattoo, Adesanya also added a tattoo above his left eye and one below his right eye.
Taking to Instagram, ‘The Last Stylebender’ posted a series of photos showcasing the new tattoos. Moreover, Adesanya also tasked his followers with deciphering the meaning behind them. Although his neckpiece is arguably the highlight, fans were also able to spot a smaller tattoo underneath the right eye.
Nouveaux tatouages pour Israel Adesanya ✍️ pic.twitter.com/bK6y7bfMy6
— ARENA (@MMArena_) January 14, 2023
In the caption for his tattoo post, Izzy wrote, “The old version of you must die before you come alive!” For starters, we know that the tattoo right above his left eye means ‘dragon’ in Arabic. Unsurprisingly, the eye tattoo was also inspired by his love of anime. Apparently, a character named Gaara from ‘Naruto’ is the inspiration for the tattoo above his eye.
Coming to the big bird tattoo on his neck, Izzy challenged his fans to identify its meaning. As such, one of his followers replied that it represents the Egyptian deity Montu, the God of War. Thus, Israel posted the fan’s answer on his story and wrote, “Well, now I know what it means.”
However, the small tattoo next to his right eye remains a mystery. Whilst it’s uncertain if it’s either a leaf or a feather, in time, fans will be able to decipher its meaning as well.
Israel Adesanya tattoos and their meanings
Other than his new tattoos, Adesanya already sports a lot of ink throughout his body. According to the 33-year-old, his ‘Multicultural Heritage’ has influenced his tattoos. As such, most of his tattoos are visible on his neck, the inner side of his arm, his right bicep, his left ribcage, his stomach, and the center of his chest.
One of his most prominent tattoos is a map of the African continent with a lion’s face inside the map. Just above it, we have his signature ‘BROKEN NATIVE’ tattoo which is meant to reflect the struggles of his past and present life. Coming over to his left ribcage, we have a tattoo of Deadpool, signifying his humorous, yet ruthless and brutal nature.
Taking a look at his stomach, we see a tattoo of the ocean and moon spirits from ‘Avatar’ which are surrounded by the 9 tail seal from ‘Naruto’. For those unaware, these are Izzy favorite anime shows. Further, Adesanya’s right shoulder has a werewolf tattoo which represents the struggle and also freedom.
Directly underneath it, Adesanya has a Calvin and Hobbes tattoo which represents power and imagination. Next, he has a portrait of his dog, Milli, tatted on the right side of his neck. Then we have a tattoo of Toph, The Blind Bandit, who is a character from “Avatar the Last Airbender.” Lastly, we have the dragon tattoo, nicknamed Kunta Kinte, on his back.
Currently, Adesanya is the #1 ranked middleweight in the UFC. In his last outing against Alex Pereira, Izzy suffered a fifth-round TKO loss and lost his undisputed championship. Due to a problem with his leg, Adesanya was unable to step away and kept taking punishment from Pereira.
With new war paint and a fresh determination, will Israel Adesanya recapture his title? Will he finally throw caution to the wind and go all out against Pereira in the potential rematch? Leave us your thoughts in the comments below.