'The right thing for me': Adesanya announces major career move
Israel Adesanya is starting a new chapter in his mixed martial arts career.
The former two-time UFC middleweight champion is parting ways with long-time gym City Kickboxing, where he first trained in 2009.
Adesanya announced the move on his YouTube channel Freestylebender, and told the Herald that at this stage he would be taking a nomadic approach to his training and would “build it as it comes”.
Adesanya, 36, made the move as a means of growth, after a decorated run while training with Eugene Bareman and the team at City Kickboxing, with three King in the Ring titles, two stints as UFC middleweight champion and a Halberg Sportsman of the Year award among his accolades.
However, since winning the UFC title back from Alex Pereira with a highlight reel knockout in 2023, Adesanya has lost four fights in a row.
Addressing the move on Freestylebender, Adesanya said he told Bareman of his decision to move on from the gym face-to-face back in May.
“It’s bittersweet, but it’s the right thing for me, especially where I’m at in my career, it’s exactly what I needed. Insanity’s doing the same s**t and expecting a different result,” Adesanya said.
Israel Adesanya (centre) with coaches (from left) Mike Angove, Eugene Bareman, Tristam Apikotoa and Andrei Paulet. Photo / Getty Images
“I think that’s it. I don’t want to talk about it. It sucks, I want to grieve in peace. If people want to bring it up that’s cool, but don’t ask me about it.”
Adesanya paid credit to the team at City Kickboxing, from coaches to teammates and others behind the scenes, and said the gym made him into the fighter he is today.
“They’ve trained a lot of great fighters, even better than myself, but me as an individual, CKB made me into the fighter that I am today. But also, I was one of the main pillars who put CKB on the map, on the world stage, to take it to the next level where people from all over the world want to come train at CKB and I’m proud of that,” he said.
“What I need for myself is focused, individual training. So, I’ve made the decision to leave CKB for my own reasons and I’ll leave it at that.”
Adesanya will continue working with Andrei Paulet, who is City Kickboxing’s wrestling coach, as his head coach.
In a statement, City Kickboxing head coach Eugene Bareman echoed that Adesanya had been a pillar of the success for not only the gym but for mixed martial arts in New Zealand and that he was “undoubtedly one of the greatest of all time.”
On Adesanya’s decision to move away from the gym, Bareman said sometimes a change can “provide the catalyst to reinvigorate, to try new things and forge new success.”
“Importantly, it is often understated, the work Israel has done to help people in need, away from the spotlight. When people only see the flashy superstar, they fail to see the man behind the scenes - and I want to acknowledge that,” Bareman said.
“We wish Israel all the best, and it has been our honour to work with and make some contribution to his success, he is welcome at CKB and will always be part of our family.”
Christopher Reive joined the Herald sports team in 2017, bringing the same versatility to his coverage as he does to his sports viewing habits.
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