Watch: Israel Adesanya tears up while watching video message from coach Eugene Bareman ahead of UFC 276
Israel Adesanya was brought to tears when his coach Eugene Bareman left an emotional message for him and other fighters of the City Kickboxing gym ahead of UFC 276.
Bareman had to leave Las Vegas early before he could see three fighters from his team get into action at the T-Mobile arena in a matter of hours. He wished all three of Adesanya, Alexander Volkanovski, and Brad Riddell the best of luck in their fights.
The head trainer of the Auckland-based gym also left a prolonged video message for his team members as he emphasized how proud he is of the work done by his pupils inside the octagon. Here's what Bareman stated in the video that 'The Last Stylebender' posted on his YouTube channel FREESTYLEBENDER:
"I've got to take off and I can't be there for what I consider one of the important parts of the week. The whole week's important. But I don't want to leave without showing my appreciation, first to you guys, Israel, Volk, and Brad. Just mad respect for what you guys do. And the dedication, the professionalism, the belief, and the support you always give the team.
"Then also I wanna thank everybody else that gets us to this point. And now we're just one step away from doing what we do best. And that's just going into battle. Everybody in this team, everybody in this house, everybody in this fight week, there's no one I'd rather go to work with than you guys. When you guys watch this video, I hope it encompasses who we are."
Watch Eugene Bareman's message to Israel Adesanya and Co.:
Israel Adesanya is part of one of the best teams in the world
City Kickboxing has a plethora of world class fighters at their disposal. However, it's not just the quality of the fighters that makes the gym stand out in MMA, rather it's the synergy and bonding between its members that is unprecedented in the UFC.
World-class talents like Israel Adesanya, Alexander Volkanovski, Kai Kara-France, Dan Hooker, and more are all part of the gym. They have tremendous bonding and even stay in the gym in a bid to help their teammates prepare for fights.
Bareman highlighted the same point in his speech that in a country as sparsely populated as New Zealand, this gym has left an impression for others to follow.