Israel Adesanya: Nigeria's UFC champion details 'Pain is my friend' and protecting heritage against Dricus du Plessis

Nigerian and New Zealand professional mixed martial artist Israel Mobolaji Adesanya is back on social media.

Despite his fierce competition with Dricus du Plessis, Adesanya stated on Monday, July 17, why it's so critical for him to preserve his Nigerian heritage.

After the South African fighter's incredible victory over Robert Whittaker at UFC 290, the two UFC middleweights are expected to square off inside the octagon later this year. 

Following du Plessis' victory, the two even squared off in the cage, and both men engaged in tense verbal sparring beforehand.

When questioned about his title ambitions back in March, a tense relationship between Adesanya and du Plessis developed. 

The 29-year-old Du Plessis said at the time that because of his African birthplace, where he currently resides and trains, he intended to be the first 'real' African champion in the UFC.

Because he was born in Nigeria and later moved to New Zealand, "The Last Stylebender" strongly disagreed with the South African's remarks, contending that this did not diminish his African heritage.

Adesanya went viral when he said that if Du Plessis is not his brother, then he is not African during the octagon conversation.

On Twitter, Israel Adesanya reiterated his position and provided an open and sincere explanation of why he feels so strongly about his African heritage.

In his response to a fan post, the 33-year-old said that when he went to New Zealand as a teenager, he encountered a lot of racism. 

The post by the fan said, "Israel Adesanya went from being surrounded by Nigerians his entire life to encountering racism for the first time when he was a teenager moving to New Zealand. 

"He clearly feels way more connected with being Nigerian than he does with being a Kiwi because he was constantly harassed about looking and sounding different. 

"Hence “Broken Native” being tatted across his chest.  It makes perfect sense. 

"New Zealand is his adopted home but he feels more at home with his fellow Nigerians because he was reminded he wasn’t from NZ his entire adolescence.

"So when you start questioning his heritage and where his home is, you’re bringing back dark memories from his teenage years

"Idk why this is so hard for people to understand."

Adesanya claims that he has lived with that "pain" his entire life, which contributes to the fact that he has a stronger connection to Nigeria.

The response by Adesanya said, "PAIN. Pain is my friend. I've known him my whole life."

Adesanya and Du Plessis engaged in an intense octagon confrontation after the bout.

In his face-to-face post-fight exchange with the South African fighter, Adesanya frequently used the N-word.

The middleweight title match between Adesanya and Du Plessis appears to be scheduled for September 10 at UFC 293 in Sydney, Australia.

Adesanya has been spotted training with Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg ahead of his fight against Du Plessis later this year.