Ahead of his title defense against Robert Whittaker at UFC 271, Israel Adesanya has inked a new multi-fight contract with the promotion.
Adesanya’s management team at Paradigm Sports announced the new deal on Wednesday, just days before he defends his UFC middleweight championship in Houston.
“We are very happy with the terms of Israel’s new promotional agreement with UFC,” Adesanya’s manager Tim Simpson said in a statement. “Israel truly deserves to be in the position that he is in, and we look forward to several more prosperous years with the UFC.”
According to his team, Adesanya’s new contract is “one of the most lucrative multi-fight deals in company history” and that will make him “one of the top paid athletes in the history of mixed martial arts.”
The deal comes together after months of negotiation that included Adesanya agreeing to his upcoming rematch against Whittaker but not actually signing a bout agreement for several weeks after the UFC announced the fight.
Now any concerns about Adesanya’s future have been put to rest after he came to terms on this new deal prior to the event on Saturday night.
Over the past few years, Adesanya has quickly become one of the most recognizable names across the entire sport while serving as the middleweight champion. His upcoming fight will be the fourth defense of his title after becoming undisputed champion by beating Whittaker in their first encounter back in 2019.
Adesanya’s management team at Paradigm Sports works with UFC superstar Conor McGregor, who is the highest paid athlete in the history of the promotion. Judging by the excitement surrounding the new deal, Adesanya is looking to join McGregor near the top of that list.
