"A lot of what we do is 100% plagiarized" - Israel Adesanya's coach Eugene Bareman admits that several of their strategies are taken from other teams
UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya's supreme dominance inside the octagon traces back to his stellar team and coach. His coach Eugene Bareman has been at the helm of his training for a few years now, and has overseen multiple championship fights for 'Izzy'.
Bareman is the founder of City Kickboxing in New Zealand, a gym that houses fellow champion and featherweight king Alexander Volkanovski. Over the years, Bareman has garnered a reputation for being one of the best in the business.
In a recent interview with Combat TV, the celebrated coach revealed a factor in his success. Bareman did not hold back from admitting that he takes inspiration from other successful coaches and their methods:
"You know when it comes to choosing a strategy, and different tactics, there's no right or wrong. There's just if it works, yeah? Ultimately that's the decider. We have the way that we approach things, and other teams have the way that they approach things. And man, I'm a big fan of studying what other teams do, and what other coaches do. And for sure, a lot of what we do is 100% plagiarized from other teams and other coaches."
He further delved into how coaches and trainers should treat taking inspiration from each other by also crediting one another:
"And look, that's just what I think coaches and trainers should be doing. They should be looking at other successful coaches, teams, and fighters and if there's aspects that they can add to their team's success, then they should steal them. One thing we should probably do as coaches and trainers is probably a little bit more acknowledgement of each other. Probably give each other a bit of a thank you and stuff every now and then."
Watch Bareman's full interview with Combat TV:
Israel Adesanya reveals what makes Eugene Bareman special
Israel Adesanya only surrounds himself with the best. Through his social media content and his championship reign, it is evident that the 'Last Stylebender' prides himself in achieving perfection in every aspect.
Israel Adesanya spoke about the virtues of his long-time coach, Eugene Bareman, and described his mastery over his craft; something that makes him a perfect fit for Adesanya's team. In a press conference alongside his City Kickboxing teammates, Alexander Volkanovski and Kai Kara-France, he said:
"Eugene, I've worked with, for a few years and I think his insight to the game and also, put it this way, there was one of these days during this camp... I was watching him tell each guy how to do what they were doing and it was like he was playing a video game. He was just so captivated. And he was just in his element. Looked like a kid in a candy store."
Israel Adesanya described the passion Bareman held for MMA and his attention to detail. He also praised the MMA guru for picking out the rest of his team with just as much consideration to ensure a healthy working environment.
Catch Israel Adesanya's full comments in the UFC press conference on YouTube: