Israel Adesanya, the middleweight champion of the UFC, will premiere his film “Stylebender” in September 2023.
Following a worldwide premiere at the prestigious Tribeca Film Festival in Manhattan in June, the fighter, who was born in Nigeria, unveiled the teaser on Wednesday.
Unquestionably, the 34-year-old is one of MMA’s biggest stars.
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After spending a considerable amount of time in the kickboxing scene before making his UFC debut in 2018, many doubted his ability to compete against wrestlers and grapplers.
However, it would only be a year before the belt of the division was slung around his waist.
Although Adesanya was cocky and flashy from the moment he entered the cage, the trailer goes back to his early years to show how this confidence wasn’t always present.
At UFC 287, Adesanya’s bout with bitter rival Alex Pereira made history.
The only two-time middleweight champion in the promotion’s history, the Kiwi boxer with Nigerian ancestry knocked out ‘Poatan.’
Directed by Zoë McIntosh, ‘Stylebender’ is an intimate look at the New Zealand-based MMA champion. According to the official synopsis, the documentary “goes beyond the octagon and delves deep into an unlikely fighter’s journey. Exploring Israel’s experiences of masculinity, bullying, mental health and the healing power of dance, the film is a poignant examination of the complex, electrifying and sometimes controversial figure known as ‘The Last Stylebender.’”
McIntosh and her team shot Stylebender over a five-year period and managed to get unprecedented access to the UFC middleweight champion and his team.
A FluroBlack production, the documentary was crafted with funding from the New Zealand Film Commission, the New Zealand Government’s Screen Production Grant, and was completed with funding from the New Zealand Government’s Screen Production Recovery Fund.
Israel Adesanya previously begged Netflix to take on the documentary but on September 28, it is expected to be released in theatres.
