DON'T COPY MY STYLE, ISRAEL ADESANYA TELLS ASPIRING ATHLETES
Nigerian-born UFC star, Israel Adesanya has advised aspiring athletes not to follow his footsteps but seek out that is best for them.
He spoke when he fielded questions from journalists after church service at the Celestial Church of Christ in Lagos.
Adesanya, decked in Celestial garment, urged the aspiring athletes to rather create their own path.
In doing, he said, they should draw inspiration, however, from him and other celebrated athletes as they pursued their dreams.
Adesanya, the last Stylebender said he started fighting as a way of looking out for himself.
According to him, he decided to become a professional fighter when he realised he was good at fighting.
Adesanya said he would not have become a fighter without support from his father.
He said: “That’s a long story, but for me, I was just standing up for myself.
"It was what it took to learn how to fight and eventually, I realised I was good at it and I took it as a career and it worked out well so far.”
Adesanya also said: “Faith is something you have to have in this life.
"You can’t walk by side, you have to walk by faith.
"Faith has guided me a lot through my life and not just my career alone.
“I just trust in myself and trust in the high power. I trust and believe in who I am and I stand steadfast in it.”
“I prepare for my fight through training, hard work, and sometimes, you don’t know what the outcome is going to be and you just have to have faith.
“Faith is something I hold on to in life in general and it helps me in all parts of my life and even in my career,” Adesanya added.
Finally, Adesanya advised aspiring athletes: “Don’t try and follow in my footsteps. I’d say create your path.
"Get inspiration from someone like myself and what I have done and use it to further yourself in your own life.
“I feel like people trying to copy what someone’s done right now isn’t worth it. If you’re inspired by what someone has done, take that inspiration and use it in your own life.”
