Eugene Bareman reveals how teammate Fau Vake's dire situation has affected Israel Adesanya's training camp
City Kickboxing head coach Eugene Bareman has revealed how Fau Vake’s current situation has impacted Israel Adesanya's training camp.
Vake, who is a young MMA prospect and teammate of Israel Adesanya, is currently in critical condition after being sucker-punched while waiting for a taxi in Auckland, New Zealand. Adesanya himself has been on the receiving end of a similar attack in the past.
'The Last Stylebender' has been by his friend's side as questions continue to be raised regarding the immediate future and whether or not he’ll be able to make a recovery.
Eugene Bareman speaks candidly about Fau Vake & Israel Adesanya
Of course, Adesanya is also preparing to defend his UFC middleweight title at UFC 263 when he locks horns with Marvin Vettori for the second time.
During a recent interview, Eugene Bareman spoke about how the ordeal is impacting both Adesanya and Brad Riddell.
“Yeah, very difficult [to stay focused on the fight camp]. But, one of the great benefits of exercise and training and coming into the gym is that for a brief moment, we can leave some of our problems in our life at the door and pick them up again when we leave. We’re kind of using that to our advantage as best as we can, training definitely isn’t the same, there’s a cloud that hangs over us, but at least we’re able to get in here and briefly take our minds off it while we’re putting our full concentrated effort into something else."
“Like I said, this isn’t ideal circumstances to train under, but we’ve just got to push forward.”
It’s clear to see that the Marvin Vettori fight means a great deal to Israel Adesanya and Eugene Bareman, but the real priority here is making sure Fau Vake gets the best care possible.
The full extent of his injuries will become more apparent as the days go on. For now, Eugene Bareman, Israel Adesanya, Brad Riddell, and the rest of the team appear to have the right kind of approach.
They want to take all of the frustration they’re feeling and channel it into something positive. This isn’t the ideal preparation, as Eugene Bareman says, but on June 12, you can bet they’re going to put their best foot forward in Arizona.