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Coach claims Israel Adesanya will never get over Sean Strickland loss: ‘He fought badly’

Coach claims Israel Adesanya will never get over Sean Strickland loss: 'He fought badly' City Kickboxing head coach, Eugene Bareman has claimed his long-time student, Israel Adesanya will never get over his championship…

City Kickboxing head coach, Eugene Bareman has claimed his long-time student, Israel Adesanya will never get over his championship loss to Sean Strickland last year in Australia — fresh from a second consecutive defeat against the incumbent, Dricus du Plessis at UFC 305 this month.

Adesanya, a former two-time undisputed middleweight gold holder, headlined UFC 305 earlier this month in his return to Perth, suffering a fourth round rear-naked choke submission loss to arch-rival, du Plessis in their undisputed title battle ‘Downunder’.

Dricus Du Plessis and Israel Adesanya UFC 305 KISS

Eugene Bareman admits Israel Adesanya is not over Sean Strickland loss

And sharing his thoughts on Israel Adesanya’s acceptance of his loss against du Plessis, Bareman admitted he was happy with how the Nigerian-Kiwi was handling the setback, however, touched on his failure to get over his decision upset to rival, Strickland.

Israel Adesanya was aiming to finish Dricus Du Plessis in round 4: 'I was like he is done'

“He’s (Israel Adesanya) handling it well and you’re right, I love the way he loses, I actually prefer the way he loses than the way he wins,” Eugene Bareman told the ‘Who the f*ck are these guys’ podcast. “I’m not a big fan of some of the ways that he wins but I’m definitely a big fan of the way he loses.”

“The (Sean) Strickland loss, he will never get over [the defeat],” Bareman explained. “He just fought badly it was just unexplainable, it’s intangible. It’s not measurable what caused it, you just go down the rabbit hole of a million things.”

Off the back of his second straight blemish — which is the first time Adesanya has sunk to a two-fight skid in his decorated mixed martial arts career, the City Kickboxing striker has been linked with a slew of future returns to action.

Namely, the former champion has been tied to a clash with surging top-5 contender, Caio Borralho, as well as a high-stakes matchup opposite the winner of next month’s UFC Paris co-headliner between Nassourdine Imavov, and Brendan Allen.

Israel Adesanya hints at injury suffered pre-UFC 305 title fight after theory from Alex Pereira

Former two-time middleweight champion, Israel Adesanya has hinted he may have been carrying an injury into his title fight…

Former two-time middleweight champion, Israel Adesanya has hinted he may have been carrying an injury into his title fight return at UFC 305 earlier this month, after former-foe, Alex Pereira noted the usually kick-heavy striker failed to utilize his lower limbs to great effect in his return to action.

Adesanya, a former two-time undisputed middleweight titleholder the banner of the promotion, headlined UFC 305 in Perth, Australia earlier this month — taking on divisional champion and arch-rival, Dricus du Plessis.

And suffering a second consecutive loss for the first time in his decorated mixed martial arts career, City Kickboxing star, Adesanya was stopped with a fourth round rear-naked choke submission — dropping his first stoppage loss via that method in his career in combat sports.

And earlier this week, Israel Adesanya’s former opponent, Pereira speculated that the former champion was likely suffering from an undisclosed injury ahead of his fight with du Plessis at UFC 305.

“Of course, I don’t know how (Israel) Adesanya was,” Alex Pereira said on his YouTube channel. “When we are there, we don’t talk about injuries, don’t talk about problems. We are there. We want to fight, want to win — no excuses. Maybe Adesanya had an injury. You could see he kicked very little.”

Israel Adesanya hints at injury setback ahead of UFC 305

And reacting to Pereira’s claims, Adesanya appeared to give those theories some real credence, without showing his hand completely.

It’s weird how this guy (Alex Pereira) knows me… it’s like we’ve spent hours studying each other’s moves and fought multiple times or sumn’,” Israel Adesanya posted on his official X account. “I mean that.”

Himself slated to return in the main event of UFC 307, former middleweight champion, Pereira is set to defend his undisputed light heavyweight championship in a title fight against the surging knockout artist, Khalil Rountree in in October in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Alex Pereira questions if Israel Adesanya was injured ahead of UFC 305: ‘He kicked very little’

A four-time foe of former two-time middleweight champion, Israel Adesanya, undisputed light heavyweight best, Alex Pereira has suggested the…

A four-time foe of former two-time middleweight champion, Israel Adesanya, undisputed light heavyweight best, Alex Pereira has suggested the former may have been carrying an injury into his return at UFC 305 earlier this month — pointing to his kick-light approach to his fight with Dricus du Plessis.

Adesanya, a former undisputed middleweight champion twice under the banner of the promotion, headlined UFC 305 in Perth, Australia against bitter-rival, du Plessis — dropping his second consecutive loss for the first time in his mixed martial arts career.

Struggling with the pressure and timing of Pretoria native, du Plessis, Adesanya was stunned in the fourth round before he was swept off his feet with a takedown, and wrapped in a taut rear-naked choke — forced to tap and give up a middleweight title fight for the second bout in a row.

Alex Pereira shares thoughts on Israel Adesanya’s loss at UFC 305

And sharing his thoughts on the City Kickboxing staple’s performance, Pereira speculated that the Nigerian-Kiwi may have been harboring an injury ahead of his UFC 305 title fight with du Plessis — pointing to his kick-light display ‘Downunder.

“That inside kick of Adesanya’s is very good,” Alex Pereira explained. “Not everyone can do that, but he can do it very well. It was a good weapon and he didn’t continue doing that inside kick. Even Dricus (du Plessis) said it bothered him; it also bothered me. He didn’t continue to do it. When he is only throwing hands, I think it’s easier for the opponent to protect themselves or get out.”

Recently Retired UFC Vet Suggests Israel Adesanya’s Time May Be Up After UFC 305: ‘Maybe 5 Years Ago That Was An Easy Fight For Him’

Israel Adesanya was unable to recapture the UFC middleweight title at UFC 305, meaning that for the first time in his MMA career, he’s coming off of back-to-back losses. “The Last Stylebender” made it clear in his post-fight interview that he’s not leaving the Octagon for good just yet despite his defeat to Dricus Du […]

Continue Reading Recently Retired UFC Vet Suggests Israel Adesanya’s Time May Be Up After UFC 305: ‘Maybe 5 Years Ago That Was An Easy Fight For Him’ at MMA News.

Israel Adesanya was unable to recapture the UFC middleweight title at UFC 305, meaning that for the first time in his MMA career, he’s coming off of back-to-back losses.

“The Last Stylebender” made it clear in his post-fight interview that he’s not leaving the Octagon for good just yet despite his defeat to Dricus Du Plessis in Perth, Australia.

In fact, even though he did show some weaknesses, there were a lot of positives to take away from his main event display. Up until he was hurt by a big looping shot, it appeared that he was on his way to swinging the contest his way in the fourth round.

The big question to answer after he put in a good performance but was ultimately defeated is whether Du Plessis was simply the better man on the night, or is Adesanya not as good as he once was?

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A post shared by Israel Adesanya (@stylebender)

Matt Brown Questions Whether Israel Adesanya Is On A Clear Decline

There were certainly shades of the Adesanya that blew everyone away with his rise up the middleweight ladder and subsequent title reign.

His accuracy and shot selection was a work of art but his defense did appear to suffer, and he took some big shots from “Stillknocks.” That eventually led to a mistake on the ground which cost him the fight.

During the latest episode of Fighter vs. Writer on MMA Fighting, UFC veteran Matt Brown weighed in with his thoughts on this past weekend’s title clash.

Like many, he liked what he saw from the former champion but he did address some concerns over whether at 35, things aren’t getting any easier for “The Last Stylebender.”

“I’ve had the question, Izzy is 35, he’s got a lot of miles on him from kickboxing and MMA, is his peak just ending? Is that what happened over the weekend? Is his peak just ending? When he fought [Sean] Strickland, maybe he just had an off night, but maybe he’s slowing down too. Maybe five years ago that was an easy fight for him, and he’s just not in peak form anymore.

“The way he looked against Dricus, I thought he looked really good, but that could have been him still slowing down a little bit. I thought his defense didn’t look as good as it had in the past, which was kind of the unique thing because he relies so much on reactions. He’s not necessarily a hands tight, high guard, really defensive guy in that sense, really technical. He kind of relies on reactions. When those start slowing down, that’s when guys like Dricus start hitting you. That’s when guys like Strickland start hitting you a lot more. If he’s slowing down a little bit, maybe his time is up?”

It remains to be seen what lies ahead in the career of Adesanya. In terms of the title picture, it would appear a clash of his former opponents is to come, with Du Plessis expected to run it back with former champ Sean Strickland.

Read More: MMA Analyst Feels UFC Trying To Cut Costs With Jared Cannonier vs. Caio Borralho Fight: ‘He’s Still On That S**tty Contract’

Continue Reading Recently Retired UFC Vet Suggests Israel Adesanya’s Time May Be Up After UFC 305: ‘Maybe 5 Years Ago That Was An Easy Fight For Him’ at MMA News.

Dana White ‘Takes Responsibility’ For Francis Ngannou Erasure In UFC 305 Video, Apologizes To Israel Adesanya

UFC CEO Dana White has addressed the controversy surrounding a quote from Israel Adesanya in the latest Countdown episode being edited to remove any mention of Francis Ngannou. The lead-up to this past weekend’s UFC 305 pay-per-view was heated after Adesanya took issue with some of middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis’ past comments regarding his […]

Continue Reading Dana White ‘Takes Responsibility’ For Francis Ngannou Erasure In UFC 305 Video, Apologizes To Israel Adesanya at MMA News.

UFC CEO Dana White has addressed the controversy surrounding a quote from Israel Adesanya in the latest Countdown episode being edited to remove any mention of Francis Ngannou.

The lead-up to this past weekend’s UFC 305 pay-per-view was heated after Adesanya took issue with some of middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis’ past comments regarding his status as the “real African” in the UFC. The Nigerian-New Zealander accused the South African of downplaying his achievements, as well as others who came before him like welterweight veteran Kamaru Usman and former heavyweight kingpin Ngannou.

The promotion unsurprisingly included that storyline in its Countdown episode for UFC 305. But while much of what was said by “The Last Stylebender” surrounded the “three kings,” the UFC eliminated one from the equation.

During UFC 305 fight week, AFeldmanMMA posted a video on X showing Adesanya speaking about Usman and Ngannou, who joined him as the “three kings” hailing from Africa who simultaneously held UFC titles a number of years ago. The quote came during the UFC 305 on-sale press conference weeks before the event.

Accompanying that clip was the same moment shown on Countdown, but heavily edited to remove any mention of the “three kings” and Ngannou.

That drew heavy backlash throughout the community, with Adesanya himself speaking out against the promotion’s apparent attempts to erase the Cameroonian’s legacy and part of history in the UFC.

White Addresses Ngannou Erasure: ‘Somebody In The Company Made That Decision’

During the press conference following this week’s episode of Dana White’s Contender Series, the UFC CEO was asked about the controversy surrounding the promotion’s Ngannou erasure by Kevin Iole.

White and other senior UFC figures close by insisted they weren’t aware of the editing of the quote to remove “The Predator,” with White suggesting it had to have been an employee acting of their own volition.

“I don’t know about this. Do you?” White asked UFC staff who were present. “It was something that we produced? Are you sure that we produced this? What show was it on? Like Embedded or something? I don’t disagree with that (Adesanya’s criticism). But literally everybody who’s sitting in here right now, including our head of PR, doesn’t know about it. When did Israel say it, post-fight? We’ll find out what happened.

“If that’s true and that was done, and it was something that we produced, then somebody in the company made that decision,” White continued. “Listen, you know me. If I said we did it, I’d say, ‘Yeah, f*ck him and this is why we did it.’ I know nothing about it, nobody ever asked me about it, and this is the first we’re hearing about it.”

It evidently didn’t take long for Iole to receive a follow-up statement, posting an update on social media. According to the veteran reporter, White took full responsibility for the controversy and quickly called Adesanya to apologize.

I should also had here for full context that Dana said he’d already called @stylebender to apologize https://t.co/2ylkvGlHGp

— Kevin Iole (@KevinI) August 21, 2024

“I had asked @danawhite tonight about the UFC scrubbing @francis_ngannou out of the Countdown show for #UFC305 tonight. He said he’d look into it. Just called me and took full responsibility. His complete answer will be in my story upcoming shortly.

“I should also had here for full context that Dana said he’d already called @stylebender to apologize,” Iole wrote.”

It remains to be seen whether Ngannou will also be receiving an apology. It was, after all, his legacy being erased…

Read More: 5 Positives & 3 Negatives From UFC 305: Dricus Du Plessis vs. Israel Adesanya

Continue Reading Dana White ‘Takes Responsibility’ For Francis Ngannou Erasure In UFC 305 Video, Apologizes To Israel Adesanya at MMA News.

Israel Adesanya barrels down P4P rankings following submission loss at UFC 305

Following his submission defeat to middleweight champion, Dricus du Plessis over the course of the weekend at UFC 305,…

Following his submission defeat to middleweight champion, Dricus du Plessis over the course of the weekend at UFC 305, former two-time titleholder, Israel Adesanya may remain the number two ranked challenger, however, has slumped down the pound-for-pound pile.

Adesanya, a former two-time middleweight gold holder, headlined UFC 305 over the course of last weekend, suffered his second consecutive defeat since September of last year – following a prior dominant title fight loss to Sean Strickland in Sydney last annum.

And meeting South African star, du Plessis ‘Downunder’ last weekend in the main event of UFC 305, Adesanya, who found himself on the wrong side of judge’s scorecards during the fourth round, was submitted in the first of two championship frames, with a taut rear-naked choke.

Following the defeat, however, Adesanya remains just behind the previously mentioned, Strickland in the middleweight listings, as the number two ranked challenger.

However, seated as the number thirteenth ranked male fighter in the pound-for-pound pile ahead of his UFC 305 title fight comeback, City Kickboxing is barely in the rankings off the back of his loss, landing at number fifteen behind former champions, Charles Oliveira, and Strickland, respectively.

Israel Adesanya falls down pound-for-pound rankings after UFC 305

Off the back of his loss to the Pretoria native, Adesanya boldly claimed that he believed du Plessis was likely there for the taking in the fourth round before he succumbed to a rear-naked choke defeat.

“He’s (Dricus du Plessis) tough, he’s stubborn that is what it is,” Israel Adesanya said. “Even if he’s tired – which one was it – I sprawled on him, was it round four? Beginning of round four, I hit him with one of the meanest sprawls because he just shot and I just put his face into the mat, and boom.”

“I tried to kick his body and then told him to get up,” Israel Adesanya continued. “Marc (Goddard) was like ‘Get up’, and he laid there on the ground and took a breath, and I was like, ‘He is done.’ So I try to go for him.”