Israel Adesanya had $300 in his bank account before signing first UFC deal

Israel Adesanya has claimed that he was down to his last $300 in his bank account before he signed his first deal with the UFC in 2017.

'Style Bender' is one of the promotion's leading stars having reigned as middleweight champion since 2019 when defeated Kelvin Gastelum to claim the title.

He recently signed a lucrative new deal with the UFC which will make him the second-highest paid fighter in the promotion's history behind good friend Conor McGregor.

However it was not always simple for the Nigerian star financially after claiming he would have been unable to pay his "rent" without the help of MMA brand Engage and signing with the UFC.

"I was just like check your phone, check your bank and I was like down to my last like 300," Adesanya told All Goats TV.

"The company that I was working in China f***** me over cause I had seven fights left in my contract, each fight at that time was like $25,000. And they just stopped giving me fights. I was like 'what about the contract I need fights'.

"So, I went to the UFC. Shout out to Engage though, they came in the clutch at that time. This was around my UFC debut at around November 2017. I wouldn't have rent for either the next week or the week after.

"This is one thing I loved about my parents, they always supported me. I hated going to them and asking 'can you pay me this' but I always did.

"And a friend like Corbin [close friend of Adesanya] as well, who was always in the clutch for me as well. People like that I keep around and I hold them dearly."

However this opportunity helped Adesanya rise to become one of the leading pound-for-pound fighters in the UFC and one of the most popular athletes in the sport.

Adesanya's debut began his promising run in the sport, forming