Israel Adesanya’s coach reveals ‘drastic’ training camp changes ahead of next UFC fight
Israel Adesanya’s coach has revealed that he is doing things ‘quite differently’ ahead of the former UFC champion’s next fight. Adesanya takes on France’s Nassourdine Imavov in his first non-title fight in six years, following consecutive UFC defeats. Adesanya has lost three of his last four UFC boutsGetty ‘The Last Stylebender’ was submitted by Dricus Du Plessis in his last bout at UFC 305 in August, 2024. This came just over one year after he was shockingly defeated by No.1 middleweight contender Sean Strickland at UFC 293. Strickland takes on Du Plessis for the second time at UFC 312 in Sydney on February 8. As for Adesanya, he hopes a convincing victory can elevate him straight back into title contention to challenge the winner of Du Plessis vs Strickland next. “There’s a few things that I’m doing quite differently with Izzy for this fight,” Adesanya’s coach Eugene Bareman told Combat TV. “They’re a lot more drastic to what I’m usually accustomed to doing.” Bareman led Adesanya to world championship status in 2019, the same year he was named the UFC coach of the Year. The West Auckland native is a former professional MMA fighter and currently takes up the role as head trainer and founder of City Kickboxing. City Kickboxing is a MMA gym in Auckland, New Zealand, that has produced some of the most successful fighters in UFC history. Former featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski, as well as other UFC stars like Kai Kara-France, Dan Hooker and Carlos Ulberg all trained at City Kickboxing. Imavov, who is 15-4 in MMA, will not be an easy task for AdesanyaGetty “I like to take things very steady and take it kind of: if it’s not broken, there’s no need to fix it,” Bareman added. “Based on [Adesanya’s] past performances I felt we needed to really flip things on its head a bit. “And yeah he’s looking really, really good and responding really, really well to this slightly different approach—something that he hasn’t been used to for the last few camps. “So he’s responding really well and he’s looking really, really good. I’m looking for a very vintage performance from Israel and so far we’re right on track for that.” Adesanya has competed in 14 successive UFC pay-per-view cards over the past six years. This will be Adesanya’s first non-PPV fight out of his last 15 UFC boutsGetty But, interestingly, this will be the Nigerian-born New Zealander’s first fight on a non PPV card since 2018. His fight with ‘The Sniper’ is part of a UFC Fight Night card at The Venue in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and also features Shara Magomedov facing London’s Michael Page in the co-main event. “I still get paid,” Adesanya said when asked about competing on a Fight Night card. “There’s still a referee, it’s two of us in there, there’s a crowd. “It’s not like in the f***ing Apex or something, so it doesn’t feel any different. “I think people are making it out to be something how they would react to it, but they’re not in my shoes. They’re not in my shorts. It’s different.” Australian Kaan Ofli, who is also coached by Bareman, takes on Muhammad Naimov on the same card as Adesanya on February 1.
Israel Adesanya’s coach has revealed that he is doing things ‘quite differently’ ahead of the former UFC champion’s next fight.
Adesanya takes on France’s Nassourdine Imavov in his first non-title fight in six years, following consecutive UFC defeats.
‘The Last Stylebender’ was submitted by Dricus Du Plessis in his last bout at UFC 305 in August, 2024.
This came just over one year after he was shockingly defeated by No.1 middleweight contender Sean Strickland at UFC 293.
Strickland takes on Du Plessis for the second time at UFC 312 in Sydney on February 8.
As for Adesanya, he hopes a convincing victory can elevate him straight back into title contention to challenge the winner of Du Plessis vs Strickland next.
“There’s a few things that I’m doing quite differently with Izzy for this fight,” Adesanya’s coach Eugene Bareman told Combat TV.
“They’re a lot more drastic to what I’m usually accustomed to doing.”
Bareman led Adesanya to world championship status in 2019, the same year he was named the UFC coach of the Year.
The West Auckland native is a former professional MMA fighter and currently takes up the role as head trainer and founder of City Kickboxing.
City Kickboxing is a MMA gym in Auckland, New Zealand, that has produced some of the most successful fighters in UFC history.
Former featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski, as well as other UFC stars like Kai Kara-France, Dan Hooker and Carlos Ulberg all trained at City Kickboxing.
“I like to take things very steady and take it kind of: if it’s not broken, there’s no need to fix it,” Bareman added.
“Based on [Adesanya’s] past performances I felt we needed to really flip things on its head a bit.
“And yeah he’s looking really, really good and responding really, really well to this slightly different approach—something that he hasn’t been used to for the last few camps.
“So he’s responding really well and he’s looking really, really good. I’m looking for a very vintage performance from Israel and so far we’re right on track for that.”
Adesanya has competed in 14 successive UFC pay-per-view cards over the past six years.
But, interestingly, this will be the Nigerian-born New Zealander’s first fight on a non PPV card since 2018.
His fight with ‘The Sniper’ is part of a UFC Fight Night card at The Venue in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and also features Shara Magomedov facing London’s Michael Page in the co-main event.
“I still get paid,” Adesanya said when asked about competing on a Fight Night card.
“There’s still a referee, it’s two of us in there, there’s a crowd.
“It’s not like in the f***ing Apex or something, so it doesn’t feel any different.
“I think people are making it out to be something how they would react to it, but they’re not in my shoes. They’re not in my shorts. It’s different.”
Australian Kaan Ofli, who is also coached by Bareman, takes on Muhammad Naimov on the same card as Adesanya on February 1.
