Exclusive: Interview with Natan Levy – Israeli UFC Fighter and Jewish Self Defense Advocate

Best known for his career as a UFC fighter, Natan Levy has also become a prominent advocate for Jewish self-defense, traveling to communities across the United States and around the world to teach practical skills and promote confidence in the face of rising antisemitism. Unlike many mixed martial artists whose backgrounds are rooted primarily in wrestling or Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Levy’s journey began in traditional martial arts, particularly Kung Fu and Karate, a foundation that continues to shape both his fighting style and his approach to self-defense. The Israel Daily News recently sat down with Levy to discuss his career, advocacy, and the importance of empowering Jewish communities.

Born in Paris and raised in Israel, he spoke about his experiences with growing up Jewish in France and experiencing antisemitism, and how those moments were the formative years into the journey that would become his career. 

“I was often fighting in school, so when people tried to bully me, I would fight back. And when I would go to France every year to visit family, I would see something that doesn’t happen in Israel, which is being bullied because you’re Jewish. In Israel, everybody is Jewish, so you get bullied for other reasons. But in France, I could see my cousins being bullied. Somebody took their bike and their kippahs and stuff because they were Jewish.”

His experiences in France led him to go to Japan and immerse in serious karate training – at only 15 years old. He recounted intensive karate training in Japan that involved daily full-day practice, long commutes, austere living conditions, and earning a black belt from a Grandmaster in Okinawa. He later earned a 3rd-degree black belt in Uechi-Ryū Karate and worked as a Karate instructor and dojo manager in Tel Aviv before relocating to the U.S. to pursue MMA more seriously. His training then expanded into MMA, including grappling and submissions, while he trained in Las Vegas under coaches at Syndicate MMA.

“So, when I was 15, I started training seriously. And it started with twice a week and quickly turned into every day and then all day every day. I would go to school already with my karate uniform. That’s all I had in the backpack because I just couldn’t wait to be finished and go train. And when I was 16, I flew to Japan for the first time with my coach, and it was a life-changing experience,” he said.

He then continued; “I trained there for a little over a month, and then I went back to school, did my last year of school because I had to. When that was done, I flew back to Japan for another three months where I trained very hard for the whole period of time. I’m talking from early morning until late night every day, with only a couple hours break in the middle. And by the time I was done there, I tested for my black belt and got it from the Grandmaster.”

He said those experiences taught him self-discipline, emotional control, and endurance that influence his conduct both in and out of the cage. 

Levy framed his success as both representative and inspirational for the Jewish community and expressed hope in community resilience. Levy’s sense of representing Israel and the Jewish people in competition led him to shift his focus from personal goals to recognizing his role in inspiring and uplifting Jewish morale after receiving messages from supporters. He emphasized the symbolic value of his wins for the broader community.

“At first, I was only fighting for myself. I never thought about it. It’s not like an Olympic sport. There is no Israeli team, it’s just people that decide to go by themselves and fight, and that’s what I did. And my main goal was just to be the best that I can be and push off to the limit. With time, I realized that every time I win, it makes not only my family, but my expanded family, my whole people, it makes them proud. It especially inspires many teenagers and adults, knowing that they can train and can become tougher just by learning how to fight. And that’s something I discovered just through people DMing me, sending me messages that really warm my heart. It shifted my focus a little bit because I realized I’m not fighting only for myself, but I’m fighting for my people, for their morale, for their spirit, and to represent them as well as possible in the cage and outside of it.”

Levy outlined practical defensive readiness steps amid rising anti‑Semitism: acknowledge threat without fear, maintain situational awareness, improve confidence, train physically and technically in martial arts, and, where lawful, arm and train responsibly. He cautioned that carrying weapons requires training and recommended alternatives like tactical pens for immediate self‑defense.

“You know, you do not need to be a professional fighter. Not at all.” he said. “Most people who harass and attack Jewish people are not fighters either, they’re just bullies.” he continued.

In addressing those unaccustomed to seeing themselves as fighters, Levy framed Jewish identity as historically resilient, urged a willingness to embrace discomfort to regain preparedness, and expressed hope rooted in his confidence in the community’s strength rather than in external sentiment. He predicted that increased strength will reduce future threats. 

“Take care of your body. Train, become stronger. This is very important,” Levy said. 

He concluded; “I’m very hopeful, not because of the outside world. I’m not hopeful about the haters, but I’m just hopeful about our people. And I know we are strong enough to endure this. And I know the stronger we get, the less they will want to mess with us. So keep being strong, endure these hard times, but we will only come out of it stronger like we always do.”