Is Israel Adesanya Married? Girlfriend and Family

Short answer? No, there’s no public record that Israel Adesanya is married. He hasn’t confirmed a girlfriend either, though one name keeps coming up in rumors. So let’s sort out what’s actually known and what’s just internet noise.

Israel Adesanya
Fighter snapshot · live data
Israel Adesanya “The Last Stylebender”
#9 MiddleweightNew Zealand / Nigeria4-fight losing streak
24Wins
6Losses
0Draws
Last 5LLLLW
Age37 (born Jul 22, 1989)
Height6' 4"
Reach80"
Weight185 lbs.
StanceSwitch
UFC record13-6
Title fights12
Born inLagos
Personal
NationalityNew Zealand, Nigeria
BirthplaceLagos
From Wikipedia Israel Mobolaji Temitayo Odunayo Oluwafemi Owolabi Adesanya is a Nigerian-New Zealander professional mixed martial artist, former kickboxer, and boxer. As a mixed martial artist, he currently competes in the Middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is a former two-time UFC Middleweight Champion. In kickboxing, he is a former Glory Middleweight Championship title challenger. As of 24 October 2026, he is #10 in the Meta UFC middleweight… Read more (text: Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0)
UFC career stats
Striking accuracy48%
Strike defense56%
Takedown accuracy9%
Takedown defense76%
Sig. strikes landed / min4.03
Takedowns / 15 min0.05
Wins in the UFC (13)KO/TKO 5 · Decision 8
Losses in the UFC (6)KO/TKO 3 · Submission 1 · Decision 2
Pro wins (24)KO/TKO 16 · Decision 8
Pro losses (6)KO/TKO 3 · Submission 1 · Decision 2
Next fightNo confirmed fight yet. Adesanya last fought on March 28, 2026 (Loss vs Joe Pyfer).
Last 5 UFC fights
LJoe PyferKO/TKO · Punches to Head From Mount · R2 4:18UFC Fight Night: Adesanya vs. PyferMar 28, 2026
LNassourdine ImavovKO/TKO · Punch to Head At Distance · R2 0:30UFC Fight Night: Adesanya vs. ImavovFeb 1, 2025
LDricus Du Plessis TitleSubmission · Rear Naked Choke · R4 3:38UFC 305: Du Plessis vs. AdesanyaAug 17, 2024
LSean Strickland TitleDecision - Unanimous · R5 5:00UFC 293: Adesanya vs. StricklandSep 9, 2023
WAlex Pereira TitleKO/TKO · Punch to Head At Distance · R2 4:21UFC 287: Pereira vs. Adesanya 2Apr 8, 2023
Data: Israel Adesanya on MMA StatBook (official UFC stats) · photo: Wikimedia Commons · refreshed daily · last checked Nov 9, 2026

So, is Israel Adesanya married right now?

Honestly, nothing we found says he is. No major outlet has reported a wedding or an engagement. One of the sites we checked says plainly that he has not been previously engaged. That site’s information is thin, though, so we wouldn’t lean on it too hard.

And that matches how he comes across. Adesanya is relatively private and doesn’t share much about his dating life. If you’ve wondered why you can’t find a clean answer, that’s why. He isn’t hiding a secret. He just doesn’t put it out there.

Quick facts at a glance

Question What’s publicly known
Married? No public confirmation of a marriage
Girlfriend? Rumored, never confirmed by him
Children? None publicly confirmed
Family Born in Lagos, Nigeria, the eldest of five children
Parents Father Oluwafemi is an accountant; mother Taiwo is a nurse

What about the Shana Evers rumors?

This is the one you’ve probably seen. Several outlets have linked Adesanya to Australian model and entrepreneur Shana Evers. The two have been seen together and have interacted on social media, including a photo of them cuddling on a boat.

But here’s the catch. Adesanya has yet to confirm his relationship status. One report also noted neither of them has disclosed anything themselves.

So where does that leave us? With a rumor, not a fact. Most of the coverage we found dates from 2023 to early 2025. We couldn’t find anything recent that confirms or ends it. If you see a site declaring them a couple, or declaring him single, treat it with caution. Those sites contradict each other.

What fans usually get wrong about his past relationship

You may remember the headlines from 2023. Adesanya publicly talked about a breakup with a former girlfriend. Reports said she’d taken him to court seeking half of his wealth. Here’s the part that gets lost: they were never married.

And then there’s the viral claim that he won a $500,000 judgment against her in early 2025. That one’s false. No credible sources or legal records confirm such a case ever took place.

It’s a good reminder. Fighters’ love lives attract a lot of made-up stories. We’ll leave his ex’s private life out of this, since it isn’t ours to discuss.

Does he have kids?

Nothing publicly confirms it. What he has said is that he wants them eventually. One report noted he has revealed his intention to start a family, but only once he steps away from combat sports.

That fits where he is. He’s 37, and his focus is clearly still on fighting.

Who’s in his family?

If you want to know who’s in his corner off the mat, start with his parents. He’s the eldest of five siblings. His father, Oluwafemi, is an accountant and his mother, Taiwo, is a nurse.

Why did they end up in New Zealand? His parents wanted better schooling for their kids. The family spent about 10 months in Ghana before choosing New Zealand. And he doesn’t take it for granted. He often acknowledges the sacrifices his parents made.

As for his siblings, the sources we found disagree on details like names and ages. So we’re not going to list them. You’ll find plenty of sites that do, but we couldn’t verify them.

Where is he based these days?

For years the answer was simple: Auckland, with City Kickboxing and coach Eugene Bareman. But that changed this year. Adesanya revealed in July that he was leaving Bareman and City Kickboxing. We haven’t seen a confirmed new home gym in our search, so we won’t guess.

If you want the full backstory on how he got here, we’ve got you covered in The Career Journey of Israel Adesanya: From Kickboxer to UFC Superstar.

What’s going on in his career right now?

It matters because it explains why his personal life stays in the background. He was knocked out by Joe Pyfer in March 2026. Even so, he’s shut down any talk of retirement.

His next fight is reportedly set. Ariel Helwani reported he’ll face Shara Magomedov on December 5 at UFC Saudi Arabia, but the UFC hasn’t officially confirmed it. We’ll update if that changes.

Curious how other stars handle this?

Adesanya’s approach is pretty different from some of his peers. If you like comparing, check out Is Khabib Nurmagomedov Married? Wife and Family Life or Is Jon Jones Married? Jessie Moses, Kids and Family. Both show how differently fighters share their home lives.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Israel Adesanya have a wife?

No wife has been publicly reported. He isn’t known to be married.

Who is Israel Adesanya dating?

He hasn’t confirmed anyone. Model Shana Evers has been linked to him in reports, but neither has confirmed a relationship.

Does Israel Adesanya have children?

None are publicly confirmed. He’s said he wants a family after he’s done with fighting.

Where is Israel Adesanya from?

He was born in Lagos, Nigeria. His family later moved to New Zealand, where he grew up.

One last thing before you go

So that’s the picture. No wife, no confirmed girlfriend, and a family he keeps close but mostly out of the spotlight. If that changes, you’ll hear it from him first, and we’ll update this page when it does. Thanks for reading, and see you at the next card.

Sources

Last updated: October 2026

About the Author

  • Jake Simmons Avatar

    "Jake Simmons is a combat sports analyst and UFC betting strategist with over 7 years of experience in MMA markets."

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