MMA News

Tag: Eugene Bareman

  • Israel Adesanya’s Coach Honest About UFC 305 Loss: ‘I Prefer The Way He Loses Than The Way He Wins…’

    Israel Adesanya’s Coach Honest About UFC 305 Loss: ‘I Prefer The Way He Loses Than The Way He Wins…’

    Israel Adesanya suffered a defeat on his return at UFC 305 but as always, he was incredibly respectful and humble in defeat.

    Fight fans have seen “The Last Stylebender” come up short on four occasions during his time in the promotion.

    Which each loss, he has always continued to represent himself and his team incredibly well and this is something that his coach takes a lot of pride in.

    The only slight exception to this was his loss to Sean Strickland at UFC 293, where Adesanya decided to not speak to the media but this was understandable after the amount of time he had spent doing his media duties throughout his UFC career.

    In fact, the former middleweight champion’s character after a defeat is so strong that his coach prefers this side of him to the celebratory one after a win.

    Eugene Bareman Says Israel Adesanya Is Better At Handling Losses Than Anyone Else In MMA

    Though City Kickboxing head coach Eugene Bareman would obviously rather that Adesanya wins each and every one of his fights, he does like seeing the man that his fighter is in the difficult moments where he lets his opponent have their moment without stepping in the way.

    There was a lot of tension between Adesanya and Dricus Du Plessis heading into this fight but any beef was squashed after the two men faced off in Perth.

    During a recent appearance on the ‘Who The Fook Are These Guys?’ podcast, Bareman spoke about how great “The Last Stylebender” is after a defeat.

    He also referenced how the shock upset loss to Strickland is an exception because they weren’t able to take positives or lessons from that particular setback.

    “Yeah he keeps handling it well and you’re right, I love the way he loses. I actually prefer the way he loses than the way he wins. I’m not a big fan of some of the ways he win but I’m definitely a big fan of the way he loses. I think he does it better than anyone in the sport. In a sport that’s proliferated with a bunch of idiots that make up all sorts of the most ridiculous things I’ve seen over the years, especially at that level it’s just crazy, and I think he does it the best but I mean the Strickland loss, he’ll never get over. You just fought badly and it was unexplainable.”

    Read also: Dan Hooker’s Coach Feels Unlucky Mateusz Gamrot Let Down By ‘The Machine’: ‘That Should Have Been His Opportunity…’

  • Dan Hooker’s Coach Feels Unlucky Mateusz Gamrot Let Down By ‘The Machine’: ‘That Should Have Been His Opportunity…’

    Dan Hooker’s Coach Feels Unlucky Mateusz Gamrot Let Down By ‘The Machine’: ‘That Should Have Been His Opportunity…’

    Dan Hooker secured one of his biggest career victories at UFC 305 in Perth when he upset Mateusz Gamrot to earn a top five ranking spot.

    It was a back-and-forth battle between the two lightweight contenders that ended in a split decision, after Gamrot started the fight well but faded over time.

    All of the credit went to “The Hangman” who, after suffering some tough defeats, has been able to build his way back into contention at 155 pounds.

    His display of heart and toughness pushed this bout towards winning the fight of the night bonus but of course, his Polish opponent also played his part and that’s something that Hooker’s coach wanted to highlight.

    Eugene Bareman Praises Mateusz Gamrot And Says He Has Veen Unlucky Because Of His Fighting Style

    In an interview with Combat TV, Hooker’s coach at City Kickboxing, Eugene Bareman, took a moment to show his appreciation for Gamrot as a fighter and competitor.

    He referenced how “Gamer” was locked in to be the back-up fighter for UFC 294 in case anything happened to the main event between Islam Makhachev and Charles Oliveira.

    When “Do Bronx” withdrew due to an injury, the UFC went with Alexander Volkanovski as the replacement instead despite Gamrot being ready to go, likely because it made for a bigger fight.

    Bareman, after praising Gamrot’s performance at UFC 305, said that he has been unlucky due to his fighting style which isn’t the most fan-friendly, even if he is extremely talented.

    “For a start, I got a lot of respect for Gamrot and his team. I thought it was very unfair what happened to him in Abu Dhabi, you know, when Volk stepped in when he was already the person that was there waiting to be the replacement and instead of choosing him, they chose Volk who was in no shape to fight.

    “I thought that should have been his opportunity and it was taken away by the machine, you know. The machine that is the UFC and I just thought he was a guy that has suffered a little bit because he doesn’t have the stereotypical fights that the fans necessarily want to see but I love watching the guy fight. The people that know about the sport, they appreciate his work and although it may not be a fan friendly kind of style of fight, the people that know really appreciate the way that he fights.”

    Read also: Kamaru Usman Compares Career To Israel Adesanya & Alexander Volkanovski Ahead Of Rumored Return Against Belal Muhammad: ‘How Disrespectful Are MMA Fans’

  • Israel Adesanya’s Coach Says Du Plessis Defeat Better Than ‘Unexplainable’ Strickland Upset: ‘It Was A Good Loss…’

    Israel Adesanya’s Coach Says Du Plessis Defeat Better Than ‘Unexplainable’ Strickland Upset: ‘It Was A Good Loss…’

    For the first time in his MMA career, Israel Adesanya finds himself coming off the back of consecutive defeats inside the Octagon.

    This doesn’t tell the story of both the fights that took place a year apart, because though he didn’t get his hand raised on either occasion, the story of the fights were completely different.

    “The Last Stylebender” didn’t look himself at UFC 293 where he was shockingly upset by Sean Strickland before taking a year off to return at UFC 305.

    Despite not reclaiming the title against Dricus Du Plessis, Adesanya appeared somewhat back to where he was before and looked to be gaining momentum in the fight until Du Plessis was able to capitalize on a few mistakes to earn a submission win in the fourth round.

    Adesanya’s head coach at City Kickboxing, Eugene Bareman, gave his thoughts on the fight during a recent interview with Combat TV.

    He came away feeling a lot more positive after this loss compared to the one from last year because they were able to learn from clear and obvious mistakes that will only lead to improvements, unlike UFC 293 which left the team scratching their heads.

    “He made some mistakes which you can only, in my opinion, put down to fatigue and the fatigue, you can put down to the work that Dricus was able to do so you can’t do nothing but applaud that. It was a loss but you know, it was a good loss. Me and Israel can walk away from that loss and it’s measurable, it’s tangible. You can put that down, this is why this happened, this is why that happened. The Strickland fight is just a bit unexplainable to us. That’s much harder to get over cuz it’s like well what happened there.”

    Eugene Bareman Gives Credit To Dricus Du Plessis For An Aspect Of His Game That They ‘Didn’t Anticipate’

    Bareman agrees with the common consensus that heading into the fourth round, it looked like the momentum was swinging towards Adesanya in the later rounds.

    However, it was Du Plessis’ finishing ability that ended up deciding the fight after he was able to wobble the former champion on the feet and take his back for the rear-naked choke win.

    As he previously stated above, Bareman puts these crucial mistakes down to Adesanya being fatigued and while this is something they worked on during his training camp, the City Kickboxing boss revealed that he was surprised by how effectively the champion is able to weaponize his conditioning.

    He said that Du Plessis may not be a perfect fighter but he’s always making his opponents work hard to try and capitalize on his weaknesses.

    “It looks like he has some holes in his defense, he also makes you work to take advantage of those holes, you know what I mean. It’s tough work out there. Yeah, the holes are there but it’s tough work to find them and it just fatigued Israel and fatigued Israel and fatigued Israel and it slowly, slowly got to Israel to the point where he was so fatigued, Dricus was able to take advantage of it. That was probably something I didn’t anticipate happening as much as it did and I just had an expectation that Israel would be able to push through that.”

    Read also: Sean Strickland Responds To Machine Gun Kelly’s ‘Big Bro Advice’ As Rapper Wanted UFC Star To Not Talk About Him Anymore

  • Eugene Bareman Details UFC 305 Fight Week Interaction With ‘Very Nice’ Dricus Du Plessis & Co.: ‘I Can’t Speak For Israel…’

    Eugene Bareman Details UFC 305 Fight Week Interaction With ‘Very Nice’ Dricus Du Plessis & Co.: ‘I Can’t Speak For Israel…’

    Israel Adesanya’s coach, Eugene Bareman, recently revealed that despite the fierce animosity between “The Last Stylebender” and Dricus Du Plessis, he shares a surprisingly warm camaraderie with the UFC middleweight champion and his team.

    Du Plessis is set to make his inaugural title defense against Adesanya in the main event of UFC 305, taking place this weekend at the RAC Arena in Perth, Western Australia.

    The tension between these middleweight powerhouses has been building for a while, and it almost reached a breaking point during their fiery altercation in the Octagon at UFC 290 in July 2023. Adesanya and Du Plessis were initially targeted to settle their differences at UFC 293 in September 2023, but “Stillknocks” was forced to withdraw due to an injury.

    However, UFC 290 wasn’t the first time these rivals crossed paths in public. Back in 2016, while both were training at the Tiger Muay Thai facility in Thailand, Du Plessis accidentally collided with Adesanya. Unlike their recent heated exchanges, this hasty encounter was marked by mutual apologies rather than harsh words.

    Beyond the competitive tension, the animosity between them intensified when “Stillknocks” challenged Adesanya’s African identity, questioning the legitimacy of the Nigerian-born fighter who now calls New Zealand home.

    However, this discord doesn’t extend to City Kickboxing’s head coach, who maintains a positive relationship with Du Plessis…

    Bareman Reveals His Unique Connection With Team Du Plessis, Distinct From Adesanya’s Experience

    During a recent interview with Submission Radio, Bareman shared that he enjoys a cordial rapport with Du Plessis and his team despite their complex history with the former middleweight champion.

    The esteemed MMA coach recounted first meeting the South African team during a 2016 training session at Tiger Muay Thai. At that time, they established a bond that has only deepened over the years, despite the ups and downs involving his own fighter.

    I was actually there; I did some rounds and had a conversation with the boys,” Bareman said. “I was still fighting and sparring, so I remember sparring with the boys and having the video footage where he’s [Du Plessis] sparring Volk [Alexander Volkanovski] and stuff. I’m also in the room sparring somewhere else. Eventually, I got around and we sparred each other as well. Yeah, and I had conversations with them. It was really obvious that they were like brothers, and they were from South Africa, so I remember having some good, decent conversations with them. They’re a very nice team. I can’t speak for Israel, obviously; he’s got his own history, and that’s a little bit different from my history.”

    Bareman further noted that he recently interacted with several members of Du Plessis’ team during UFC 305 fight week and found them to be exceptionally respectful.

    “They’ve come up to me, made their way through the crowd, and said, ‘Hey Coach Bareman or Coach Eugene, how are you? Good to see you again. It’s been so long. Who would have thought after all these years, after us sparring in that little room, that we would all be in this position?’ I said, ‘Yeah, it’s absolutely amazing.’ I just wish them all the best. There’s some stuff going on, and it’s a good story, I guess. But from my experience back then and now, they’re good people.”

    It remains highly uncertain whether Adesanya and Du Plessis will put their bad blood to rest after their fight. However, one thing is certain: the showdown is set to deliver an electrifying spectacle for fans, fueled by the deep-seated rivalry between the two fighters.

  • Coach Debunks Rogan’s Theory Of Adesanya Breaking Hand At UFC 271

    Israel Adesanya’s head coach Eugene Bareman has shut down Joe Rogan’s in-fight assessment that the UFC champion broke his hand at UFC 271.

    Adesanya earned a unanimous decision win over former champion Robert Whittaker in the UFC 271 main event. He utilized an efficient striking attack to out-pace Whittaker, especially in the later rounds.

    Eyebrows were raised when Rogan texted play-by-play commentator Jon Anik in the middle of the broadcast that he thought Adesanya had broken his right hand. Adesanya appeared to curl his right hand and not be as active with it as the fight went on.

    During a recent interview on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, Bareman clarified Adesanya’s reasoning for the inactivity with his right hand.

    “No, that’s more to do with something that happened in Rounds 2 through 4, trying to get that right-hand side going,” Bareman said. “But for whatever reason, Robert was making Israel a little anxious to throw not just the right hand but the right side in terms of the leg going a little bit. [Israel] said not just the right side in terms of the upper body moving, but there was a block there that [Israel] tried to mitigate [his] way through each round. But for whatever reason, [he] wasn’t able to successfully get that right hand going the way we wanted to. So it wasn’t about a broken hand or anything, it was [mental].”

    Rogan was absent from the commentary team due to an unknown conflict. It was originally reported by some outlets that it was due to a scheduling issue, but UFC President Dana White has since shut that theory down.

    Adesanya has now successfully defended his title four times since knocking out Whittaker at UFC 243. He also challenged for the light heavyweight title against Jan Blachowicz at UFC 259 but fell short in a decision.

    Bareman has clarified Adesanya’s health status with his hand and it sounds like the middleweight champion is still anticipating a return for some time this summer.

    Who do you want to see Israel Adesanya fight next in 2022?

  • Coach: The UFC Isn’t Pushing Israel Adesanya The Way They Should

    City Kickboxing head coach Eugene Bareman believes UFC Middleweight Champion Israel Adesanya is being under-promoted by MMA’s leading organization.

    Adesanya has ruled over the 185lbers for over two years. Since dominantly dethroning Robert Whittaker at UFC 243 in Melbourne, “The Last Stylebender” has fought off the challenges of Yoel Romero, Paulo Costa, and Marvin Vettori.

    While he ultimately failed in the pursuit of two-division glory, recording his first professional MMA loss at the hands of then-light heavyweight titleholder Jan Blachowicz last March, Adesanya’s middleweight record has remained unblemished.

    The next man to try and change that will be former champ Whittaker. Having bounced back from his title defeat to Adesanya in style with impressive victories over Darren Till, Jared Cannonier, and Kelvin Gastelum, “The Reaper” will attempt to exact revenge on the Nigerian-New Zealander and reclaim the throne this weekend in the UFC 271 main event.

    Bareman: Adesanya Is “One Hundred Percent” Under-Promoted

    Adesanya’s opening title defense of 2022 will come just three weeks after his African counterpart Francis Ngannou pushed through a heap of adversity to keep hold of his title at UFC 270. One of the main narratives heading into the opening pay-per-view of the year was a perceived under-appreciation and disrespect towards “The Predator.”

    Ngannou’s manager, Marquel Martin, claimed that, rather than money, his client’s dispute with the UFC derived from the lackluster promotion of the heavyweight champ, among other things.

    That sentiment has now been shared by the coach of Adesanya.

    During a recent appearance on Submission Radio, Bareman, who also coaches the likes of Dan Hooker, Kai Kara-France, and Brad Riddell, was asked whether he thought the UFC’s promotion of the 185-pound king was lacking.

    While the 42-year-old New Zealander was clearly hesitant to criticize the organization, he did suggest the sentiment was the “correct observation.”

    “You are correct; a hundred percent correct. But I’m not, at the moment, willing to talk about this particular subject,” said Bareman. “At the moment, I’m sorry, boys. I can’t. It’s one hundred percent the correct observation. The correct observation – He’s not being nowhere near pushed the way he should. But there’s stuff that I can’t talk about regarding that. So, I’ll just leave it as a no comment. But your assumption is correct. They can (promote Adesanya more). At least I agree with that.” (h/t Sportskeeda)

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CZfQZv_s0Bf/

    With Ngannou standing firm on his demands and potentially leaving the UFC to explore free agency at the end of the year, it’s hard not to wonder whether Bareman’s comments are a sentiment shared by Adesanya himself, who is also likely to fight out his deal this year.

    Should he do so, perhaps Ariel Helwani’s question surrounding a possible mass exodus of UFC stars in 2022 will begin to come to fruition.

    For the moment, though, Adesanya’s focus will be on defending his title for the fourth time and once more establishing his dominance over Whittaker.

    Do you agree with Eugene Bareman? Should Israel Adesanya be promoted more by the UFC?