Team Behind Israel Adesanya’s Success: Gym, Coach, Training Partners, & More

Former 2-time UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya is on his road to redemption as he seeks to break his losing streak this weekend in Saudi Arabia. Taking on Nassourdine Imavov, it will be ‘The Last Stylebender’s first non-title fight in six years. No wonder he’s been putting in the work for this matchup as we take a look at the people behind the whole process.

Moving from Nigeria to New Zealand, Adesanya always had a knack for fighting. When started fighting, he had several coaches, but no other stood the test of time like Eugene Bareman. Let’s take a look at that front.

Who is Israel Adesanya’s coach Eugene Bareman?

Eugene Bareman is the man who has taken on the mantle to train Adesanya. Just like the former UFC champ, Bareman also came from a kickboxing background. Later on, he was hooked into jiu-jitsu, which then became his ladder to climb into the realm of mixed martial arts. His experience was truly the thing that helped Adesanya achieve phenomenal success in MMA.

But there is more to the story. Long before ‘The Last Stylebender’ stepped into the Octagon, he was influenced by the movie ‘Ong Bak’ when he was just 19 years old and decided to move away and train in Muay Thai. When he turned to MMA and fought Neroni Savaiinaea in 2009, ‘Izzy’ faced a heartbreaking defeat via unanimous decision.

Eugene Bareman was present in Adesanya’s corner when he lost the match. The coach decided not to teach him if he ever came to him. After trying hard enough to reject him, Bareman accepted Adesanya’s request and roped him under his tutelage. The coach taught him basic and advanced versions of boxing and kickboxing. And the rest is history.

But what about the rest of Adesanya’s team? Let’s find out who they are!

Where does Israel Adesanya train?

Eugene Bareman is not only Israel Adesanya’s coach but also the founder and head coach of the gym where the Nigerian-born star trains – City Kickboxing, which is based in Auckland, New Zealand. Apart from Bareman, Doug Viney, Chanel Niumata, Tristram Apikitoa, and Mike Angove are an integral part of his team. Angove is, in fact, the one who helps Adesanya in the striking department.

Many coaches and trainers of professional fighters have to spend much time away from their loved ones because of training. And many times, this sacrifice of the coaching team might get overlooked by the fighter. However, that is certainly not the case with Adesanya. But it’s not only the coaches who make sacrifices as his fellow teammates do the same as well.

Who are Adesanya’s training partners at City Kickboxing gym?

Israel Adesanya’s coach, Eugene Bareman, is also associated with training stars like Alexander Volkanovski, Dan Hooker, Kai Kara-France, and many others. So you already get the idea that his training partners and teammates are nothing less than world-class. Besides the aforementioned teammates, Adesanya also gets to spar with Carlos Ulberg and Brad Riddell, who are also UFC fighters.

Adesanya has always acknowledged whatever his team does for him. He has frequently praised everyone and everything the team does for him and thanked them. Moreover, the former 2-time champ even helped one of his teammates out when they needed a fight. Before UFC 305, Dan Hooker expressed wanting to fight at the PPV, but Dana White didn’t book him even though the event was taking place in Australia, which was close to ‘The Hangman’s native country. When Israel Adesanya expressed a bit of concern publicly, Hooker was booked in a fight against Mateusz Gamrot, which he won.

It will be interesting to see if City Kickboxing prevails in Saudi Arabia as Israel Adesanya headlines this weekend’s Fight Night. Let us know your predictions for the fight in the comments down below.