Is Israel Adesanya Gay, Bi or Straight?
Is Israel Adesanya gay, bi, or straight? The UFC star’s sexual orientation has been a frequent topic of debate over the years. The questions have only grown since he defeated Robert Whittaker to become the champion of the world at middleweight.
On Thursday, speculation regarding whether Adesanya is gay, bi or straight resurfaced when images of him with bright pink hair emerged online.
Israel Adesanya switched the style up 🎨 (via @stylebender) pic.twitter.com/u1LkRyugi8
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) August 6, 2020
To be clear, it is not even clear that Adesanya really colored his hair pink. Thus far, only one photo indicates that is the case. But it did lead to some people speculating on the MMA subreddit that it was indicative of something more.
“I have a feeling Izzy might be gay,” wrote one user.
“Has he come out yet?” questioned another.
Several users suggested that someone of Adesanya’s stature coming out would be huge for the LGBTQ community, as it would bust a lot of stereotypes in sports culture and society in general.
“Honestly a big name coming out would help the sport,” wrote one person.
“There are gay male fighters but they don’t ever come out because of the stigma.”
Israel Adesanya Has Had His Sexual Orientation Questioned Before
This is not the first time MMA fans have wondered about whether Adesanya is gay, bi or straight.
Last year, when he fought Anderson Silva, Adesanya pledged to reveal something big following the bout. At the time, many questioned whether it was something pertaining to his sexual orientation.
“As a Bi man myself I get the vibe,” one user wrote of Adesanya.
“In the latest count down when he took his dogs for a walk and a kitten on his chest he has a guy with him usually thats the time to show a gf and or kids. Never introduced him as a nutritionist, or coach they live together and they seem pretty close. And that guy looks to be the guy that Israel kisses after koing Derek Brunson.
“He also posts tons of gay pictures on his insta some have been taken down.”
The posts in question can be found below.
Some have also referenced an appearance Adesanya made on The Breakfast Club last year, where the topic of significant others came up.
Obviously it does not matter if Adesanya is gay, bi or straight. His sexual orientation is his business and he can share or it keep it quiet as he sees fit.
That being said, there is no understating how impactful it would be if someone of his magnitude came out. Any athlete coming out is a big deal – but one of the toughest, strongest and most gifted fighters of all time doing it would be on a whole different level.
Israel Adesanya Will Next Fight In September
Adesanya’s next bout is scheduled for September of this year. He will take on Paulo Costa at UFC 253 in Las Vegas, Nevada. It will likely be the biggest test of the 31-year-old’s career.
Many expected Adesanya’s last bout, against Yoel Romero, to be a classic showdown featuring a power punching-wrestler versus an expert striker. Instead it was just five rounds of nobody doing much.
The Costa fight will be different. It will be the fight everyone was expecting when Adesanya agreed to take on Romero.
If Adesanya ultimately emerges from his next match victorious, it is tough to see a scenario where anyone in the UFC’s middleweight division will be able to dethrone him at any point in the next few years.
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A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
