"Sean Strickland's psycho-sense is tingling" - When Israel Adesanya was mercilessly trolled by fans for having his servants bathe him until age of 8

Israel Adesanya is no longer the UFC middleweight champion, having lost his divisional crown to Sean Strickland in one of the greatest upsets in the history of the sport. It marked the former titleholder's third loss in MMA, as he previously lost to Alex Pereira and Jan Błachowicz.

However, his loss to Strickland is his most one-sided, and it was preceded by something of a fall from grace in the public eye, as Adesanya's conduct with his pets drew controversy, as has his conservative fighting style. But back in 2020, he could do no wrong and was regarded as the UFC's next great superstar.

Izzy had servants bathe him lol byu/Bongzilla92 inufc

Ahead of his first-ever title defense against Paulo Costa, Israel Adesanya was the subject of an ESPN cover story designed to introduce him to the platform's global audience. The story, which was written by Dotun Akintoye, offered readers a detailed account of 'The Last Stylebender's' journey as a man and fighter.

But the most infamous detail of the piece was that Adesanya, who once claimed that the Brazilian favelas could relate to him, had a privileged upbringing, with servants who bathed him until he turned 8. The story made the rounds on Reddit, where followers of the sport offered their thoughts.

One fan brought up Sean Strickland's frequent taunt about the Nigerian-born New Zealander being Chinese:

"But... he's Chinese, no?"

Meanwhile, another fan had the following to say:

"He's not invited to the BBQ"

Sean Strickland, the former champion's current rival, was again brought up:

"Sean Stricklands psycho-sense is tingling"

One fan referenced Israel Adesanya's feud with Dricus du Plessis, claiming that the South African likely had a different upbringing:

"Pretty sure Du Plessis learned to clean his own p*nis long before Izzy the Prince learned that normal people clean their foreskin."

A collage of fan reactions can be seen below:

Fan reactions

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How many UFC title reigns has Israel Adesanya had?

Israel Adesanya has had the fortune of being one of the longest-reigning champions in middleweight history. He first captured the belt by beating Robert Whittaker by way of emphatic knockout at UFC 243. Afterwards, he racked up five title defenses at 185 pounds.

His first roadblock at the weight class came in the form of his old kickboxing nemesis, Alex Pereira, who scored a come-from-behind TKO at UFC 281. However, Adesanya rebounded with a thunderous knockout of his own in their rematch, becoming a two-time middleweight champion.

Unfortunately, for him, he has now lost the belt to Sean Strickland, but will likely aim to reclaim it in the hopes of becoming a three-time titleholder.