Israel Adesanya’s Coach Sets Championship Aim: ‘Don’t Be Surprised If We’re Back In Gold’

Following his fighter’s loss to Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 305, Israel Adesanya’s head coach Eugene Bareman spoke about the differences in this defeat compared to what happened at UFC 293. The City Kickboxing boss said that there was a lot of…

Following his fighter’s loss to Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 305, Israel Adesanya’s head coach Eugene Bareman spoke about the differences in this defeat compared to what happened at UFC 293. The City Kickboxing boss said that there was a lot of positives and some lessons that they could take away from Perth. Unlike their […]

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Israel Adesanya’s Coach Honest About UFC 305 Loss: ‘I Prefer The Way He Loses Than The Way He Wins…’

Israel Adesanya suffered a defeat on his return at UFC 305 but as always, he was incredibly respectful and humble in defeat. Fight fans have seen “The Last Stylebender” come up short on four occasions during his time in the promotion. Which each loss, he has always continued to represent himself and his team incredibly […]

Continue Reading Israel Adesanya’s Coach Honest About UFC 305 Loss: ‘I Prefer The Way He Loses Than The Way He Wins…’ at MMA News.

Israel Adesanya suffered a defeat on his return at UFC 305 but as always, he was incredibly respectful and humble in defeat.

Fight fans have seen “The Last Stylebender” come up short on four occasions during his time in the promotion.

Which each loss, he has always continued to represent himself and his team incredibly well and this is something that his coach takes a lot of pride in.

The only slight exception to this was his loss to Sean Strickland at UFC 293, where Adesanya decided to not speak to the media but this was understandable after the amount of time he had spent doing his media duties throughout his UFC career.

In fact, the former middleweight champion’s character after a defeat is so strong that his coach prefers this side of him to the celebratory one after a win.

Eugene Bareman Says Israel Adesanya Is Better At Handling Losses Than Anyone Else In MMA

Though City Kickboxing head coach Eugene Bareman would obviously rather that Adesanya wins each and every one of his fights, he does like seeing the man that his fighter is in the difficult moments where he lets his opponent have their moment without stepping in the way.

There was a lot of tension between Adesanya and Dricus Du Plessis heading into this fight but any beef was squashed after the two men faced off in Perth.

During a recent appearance on the ‘Who The Fook Are These Guys?’ podcast, Bareman spoke about how great “The Last Stylebender” is after a defeat.

He also referenced how the shock upset loss to Strickland is an exception because they weren’t able to take positives or lessons from that particular setback.

“Yeah he keeps 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. I’m not a big fan of some of the ways he win but I’m definitely a big fan of the way he loses. I think he does it better than anyone in the sport. In a sport that’s proliferated with a bunch of idiots that make up all sorts of the most ridiculous things I’ve seen over the years, especially at that level it’s just crazy, and I think he does it the best but I mean the Strickland loss, he’ll never get over. You just fought badly and it was unexplainable.”

Read also: Dan Hooker’s Coach Feels Unlucky Mateusz Gamrot Let Down By ‘The Machine’: ‘That Should Have Been His Opportunity…’

Continue Reading Israel Adesanya’s Coach Honest About UFC 305 Loss: ‘I Prefer The Way He Loses Than The Way He Wins…’ at MMA News.

Dan Hooker’s Coach Feels Unlucky Mateusz Gamrot Let Down By ‘The Machine’: ‘That Should Have Been His Opportunity…’

Dan Hooker secured one of his biggest career victories at UFC 305 in Perth when he upset Mateusz Gamrot to earn a top five ranking spot. It was a back-and-forth battle between the two lightweight contenders that ended in a split decision, after Gamrot started the fight well but faded over time. All of the […]

Continue Reading Dan Hooker’s Coach Feels Unlucky Mateusz Gamrot Let Down By ‘The Machine’: ‘That Should Have Been His Opportunity…’ at MMA News.

Dan Hooker secured one of his biggest career victories at UFC 305 in Perth when he upset Mateusz Gamrot to earn a top five ranking spot.

It was a back-and-forth battle between the two lightweight contenders that ended in a split decision, after Gamrot started the fight well but faded over time.

All of the credit went to “The Hangman” who, after suffering some tough defeats, has been able to build his way back into contention at 155 pounds.

His display of heart and toughness pushed this bout towards winning the fight of the night bonus but of course, his Polish opponent also played his part and that’s something that Hooker’s coach wanted to highlight.

Eugene Bareman Praises Mateusz Gamrot And Says He Has Veen Unlucky Because Of His Fighting Style

In an interview with Combat TV, Hooker’s coach at City Kickboxing, Eugene Bareman, took a moment to show his appreciation for Gamrot as a fighter and competitor.

He referenced how “Gamer” was locked in to be the back-up fighter for UFC 294 in case anything happened to the main event between Islam Makhachev and Charles Oliveira.

When “Do Bronx” withdrew due to an injury, the UFC went with Alexander Volkanovski as the replacement instead despite Gamrot being ready to go, likely because it made for a bigger fight.

Bareman, after praising Gamrot’s performance at UFC 305, said that he has been unlucky due to his fighting style which isn’t the most fan-friendly, even if he is extremely talented.

“For a start, I got a lot of respect for Gamrot and his team. I thought it was very unfair what happened to him in Abu Dhabi, you know, when Volk stepped in when he was already the person that was there waiting to be the replacement and instead of choosing him, they chose Volk who was in no shape to fight.

“I thought that should have been his opportunity and it was taken away by the machine, you know. The machine that is the UFC and I just thought he was a guy that has suffered a little bit because he doesn’t have the stereotypical fights that the fans necessarily want to see but I love watching the guy fight. The people that know about the sport, they appreciate his work and although it may not be a fan friendly kind of style of fight, the people that know really appreciate the way that he fights.”

Read also: Kamaru Usman Compares Career To Israel Adesanya & Alexander Volkanovski Ahead Of Rumored Return Against Belal Muhammad: ‘How Disrespectful Are MMA Fans’

Continue Reading Dan Hooker’s Coach Feels Unlucky Mateusz Gamrot Let Down By ‘The Machine’: ‘That Should Have Been His Opportunity…’ at MMA News.

Israel Adesanya’s Coach Says Du Plessis Defeat Better Than ‘Unexplainable’ Strickland Upset: ‘It Was A Good Loss…’

For the first time in his MMA career, Israel Adesanya finds himself coming off the back of consecutive defeats inside the Octagon. This doesn’t tell the story of both the fights that took place a year apart, because though he didn’t get his hand raised on either occasion, the story of the fights were completely […]

Continue Reading Israel Adesanya’s Coach Says Du Plessis Defeat Better Than ‘Unexplainable’ Strickland Upset: ‘It Was A Good Loss…’ at MMA News.

For the first time in his MMA career, Israel Adesanya finds himself coming off the back of consecutive defeats inside the Octagon.

This doesn’t tell the story of both the fights that took place a year apart, because though he didn’t get his hand raised on either occasion, the story of the fights were completely different.

“The Last Stylebender” didn’t look himself at UFC 293 where he was shockingly upset by Sean Strickland before taking a year off to return at UFC 305.

Despite not reclaiming the title against Dricus Du Plessis, Adesanya appeared somewhat back to where he was before and looked to be gaining momentum in the fight until Du Plessis was able to capitalize on a few mistakes to earn a submission win in the fourth round.

Adesanya’s head coach at City Kickboxing, Eugene Bareman, gave his thoughts on the fight during a recent interview with Combat TV.

He came away feeling a lot more positive after this loss compared to the one from last year because they were able to learn from clear and obvious mistakes that will only lead to improvements, unlike UFC 293 which left the team scratching their heads.

“He made some mistakes which you can only, in my opinion, put down to fatigue and the fatigue, you can put down to the work that Dricus was able to do so you can’t do nothing but applaud that. It was a loss but you know, it was a good loss. Me and Israel can walk away from that loss and it’s measurable, it’s tangible. You can put that down, this is why this happened, this is why that happened. The Strickland fight is just a bit unexplainable to us. That’s much harder to get over cuz it’s like well what happened there.”

Eugene Bareman Gives Credit To Dricus Du Plessis For An Aspect Of His Game That They ‘Didn’t Anticipate’

Bareman agrees with the common consensus that heading into the fourth round, it looked like the momentum was swinging towards Adesanya in the later rounds.

However, it was Du Plessis’ finishing ability that ended up deciding the fight after he was able to wobble the former champion on the feet and take his back for the rear-naked choke win.

As he previously stated above, Bareman puts these crucial mistakes down to Adesanya being fatigued and while this is something they worked on during his training camp, the City Kickboxing boss revealed that he was surprised by how effectively the champion is able to weaponize his conditioning.

He said that Du Plessis may not be a perfect fighter but he’s always making his opponents work hard to try and capitalize on his weaknesses.

“It looks like he has some holes in his defense, he also makes you work to take advantage of those holes, you know what I mean. It’s tough work out there. Yeah, the holes are there but it’s tough work to find them and it just fatigued Israel and fatigued Israel and fatigued Israel and it slowly, slowly got to Israel to the point where he was so fatigued, Dricus was able to take advantage of it. That was probably something I didn’t anticipate happening as much as it did and I just had an expectation that Israel would be able to push through that.”

Read also: Sean Strickland Responds To Machine Gun Kelly’s ‘Big Bro Advice’ As Rapper Wanted UFC Star To Not Talk About Him Anymore

Continue Reading Israel Adesanya’s Coach Says Du Plessis Defeat Better Than ‘Unexplainable’ Strickland Upset: ‘It Was A Good Loss…’ at MMA News.

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

Israel Adesanya hints at injury suffered pre-UFC 305 title fight after theory from Alex PereiraFormer two-time middleweight champion, Israel Adesanya has hinted he may have been carrying an injury into his title fight…

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 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.

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

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.

Dricus Du Plessis and Israel Adesanya UFC 305 KISS

“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.

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

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’

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…

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 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.

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

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.

Dricus Du Plessis and Israel Adesanya UFC 305 KISS

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.

poatan ufc 1

“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.”

“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.”