Tag: Eugene Bareman

Former two-time undisputed middleweight champion, Israel Adesanya has claimed his corner and head coach, Eugene Bareman prevented him from going out on his shield against Sean Strickland at UFC 293 back in September, despite his demands.

Adesanya, a former two-time undisputed middleweight champion, has been sidelined from the Octagon since that shocking upset loss to Strickland back in September in Australia, dropping his middleweight crown for the second time in the space of a year in the shocking upset blemish. 

Israel Adesanya reflects on UFC 293 loss

Outpointed comfortably by massive betting underdog, Strickland over the course of five rounds, Adesanya claims despite his intentions, head coach, Bareman prevented him from standing and trading with the former in the fifth and final round of their UFC 293 clash, and effectively, going out on his shield.

“I never lost hope, I went back to the corner, and I was like, ‘Right, we ‘go’ this round, we must ‘go’ this round.’” Israel Adesanya told Teddy Atlas during a recent interview. “So, I was – even like when I asked Eugene (Bareman) in the fifth round, like, ‘Is this the fifth round?’ And he said, ‘Yeah.’ I was like, right, and I said, ‘Should I just should I just go out there and go?’”

“I wanted to,” Israel Adesanya explained. “Like, kind of like, ‘F*ck it, let’s go.’ Like if I die, I die, like, go out on my shield.” (H/T MMA News)

Linked with a potential return to the Octagon in the coming months after laughing off initial claims he would not fight until 2027, former two-time middleweight best, Adesanya appears to have put on some significant muscle mass since his loss to Strickland.

And the recent uptake on mass has led to mass speculation across social media that Adesanya is gearing up for a trilogy rubber match with two-time Octagon foe, Alex Pereira in a bid to become the undisputed light heavyweight champion.

Who do you expect Israel Adesanya to fight in his UFC comeback?

Former two-time undisputed middleweight champion, Israel Adesanya has been backed to likely prevail in the future – particularly in a mooted title rematch with Sean Strickland immediately, with head coach Eugene Bareman claiming his student has “seen everything” in terms of different styles and gameplan.

Adesanya, a former two-time undisputed middleweight titleholder, headlined UFC 293 earlier this month in Sydney, Australia – suffering a massive upset championship loss to the above-mentioned, Strickland, over the course of their five round main event championship bout. 

Dropping his undisputed middleweight crown in stunning fashion, Israel Adesanya became the first titleholder in UFC history to lose his championship twice in the space of a year – having dropped the middleweight title to arch-rival, Alex Pereira back in November at Madison Square Garden.

And also suffering his first official knockdown in the opening round of his pairing with the above-mentioned, Strickland in Australia, Adesanya’s coach, Bareman claimed his student likely suffered his loss as a direct result of a “concussion” in the first frame.

“I thought he (Israel Adesanya) did really well with the knockdown and coming back from it but I have no doubt that anybody who’s actually had a fight and knows when you suffer a concussion and get knocked down like that, things happen,” Bareman told Combat TV.”

“Over the whole duration of the fight, you just don’t know what the knockdown does,” Bareman continued. “Has it slowed your reactions down, has it slowed your mental processing down? The knockdown – or the concussion, they can do a myriad of things so I have no doubt that that would have some effect and which is what it’s meant to do.”

Eugene Bareman confident of future UFC success for Israel Adesanya

Widely expected to make a return to the Octagon in an immediate title rematch with Strickland, Adesanya has been touted as ready for any tactical change or gameplan alteration by his head coach.

“No one else has these sorts of athletes because no one else has done the extensive work that we’ve done outside of MMA to gain this type of high-level experience,” Bareman explained. “This is an athlete who’s seen everything, who’s had every type of game plan imposed on him, and every sort of adjustment, every sort of look he’s had in front of him.”

“Sean (Strickland) brought something unique, and it was his awkwardness, and we thought we’d dealt with it,” Bareman continued. “We have to do a better job at dealing with the style that he defends in and some of the intricacies he brings to the table. But, Israel’s seen everything. Not every athlete that gets to the UFC does – barely any of them do. None of them have 100 fights at the highest level.” 

Can Israel Adesanya reclaim the middleweight title again?