The documentary will premiere in a few months at the prestigious Tribeca Film Festival.
Written and directed by Zöe McIntosh with Fraser Brown as the producer, the feature takes the viewers into the childhood and career of the Nigerian-born, New Zealand-based MMA fighter.
It will show the ups and downs of his life, touching on masculinity, bullying, mental health, fighting and dance.
“My goal was always to get under the gloss and hype to unlock the poetry, emotion and contradictions inherent in Israel. I wanted to make a film that spoke not only to MMA fans, but to a wider audience who would connect with Israel’s authenticity and the importance of being your own ‘freaky’ self,” said the writer and director.
Work on the 102-minutes-long documentary started back in 2018, around the time Adesanya made his UFC debut under the tutelage of his coach Eugene Bareman.
The documentary comes his latest win a few weeks ago after he reclaimed the UFC middleweight world champion title with a second round KO against longtime rival Alex Pereira.
Stylebender is screen at the prestigious Tribeca Film Festival, along with Then Comes the Body, another documentary by Nigerian filmmakers, Damilola Aleje and Nathaniel Udoh.
Adesanya's documentary premieres on June 11, 2023.
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