Israel Adesanya and coach hilariously name the only reason to ever pull out of a fight, and it's not injuries
City Kickboxing and its head coach Eugene Bareman have produced dominant UFC champions and world-class fighters like Israel Adesanya and Alexander Volkanvski, Dan Hooker, and Kai Kara-France.
As hardcore fans may already have noticed, fight cancellations, pullouts, or rescheduling due to injuries is the rarest of rare occurrences in fights involving City Kickboxing fighters. Adesanya and Coach Bareman recently shed light on what it takes to earn that reputation in their world.
While speaking to 'It's Time For Sports', Israel Adesanya and Eugene Barelan answered several questions related to their profession and work ethic. When asked for his opinion on Dricus Du Plessis losing the title opportunity due to a foot injury, Adesanya stated that he and his teammates have fought through severe injuries and made it to the octagon in the past.
He attributed this achievement to the unparalleled work ethic at City Kickboxing. According to 'The Last Stylebender', fighters are not allowed to miss a training session, let alone a fight, unless they're expecting a baby. Coach Bareman seconded Adesanya's thoughts on this and explained:
"We're don't allow to miss training or a fight. You can't even pull out of a fight unless you're having a baby. And for most of us, if you're getting married. So these are your only excuses. Guys have been on death's door and haven't pulled out from a fight. That's just what has to happen in the industry. You don't take this for granted. We work so hard for the champions that we have."
You can watch Israel Adesanya and Eugene Bareman make this statement at the 6:10 mark of the video below:
Israel Adesanya promises to punish Sean Strickland for insulting his country
Israel Adesanya was expected to defend his UFC middleweight title against Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 293. However, a foot injury forced Du Plessis to pull out of the fight, and fifth-ranked Sean Strickland got the opportunity to step in and challenge for the title.
Strickland is one of the most outspoken and controversial figures. He has been launching scathing attacks on 'The Last Stylebender' to get a mental edge over the champ.
However, Adesanya’s strategy seems to be nullifying Sean Strickland by proudly wearing the tags. The champion posted a video of him sharing a meal with a Chinese person in response to the ‘Chinese champion’ remark.
“I’d knock this guy out. He disrespected our country. He disrespected our Chinese country. I’d knock him out in the name of China,” Israel Adesanya said in the video.
The mental warfare between Adesanya and Strickland will intensify as the fight draws closer. The fierce rivals will headline the UFC 293 pay-per-view event that takes place on September 10, 2023, at the Quodos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia. Adesanya will attempt the first defense of his UFC middleweight title in the second tenure as the champion.