Coach Eugene Bareman Confident About Israel Adesanya Defeating Sean Strickland In Rematch
City Kickboxing (CKB) head coach Eugene Bareman recently discussed the Israel Adesanya vs. Sean Strickland rematch. The veteran coach stated that he’s confident about Adesanya redeeming himself in the rubber match.
Sean Strickland shocked the MMA community with a massive title win over Israel Adesanya at UFC 293. Despite entering the octagon as a -650 favorite, ‘The Last Stylebender’ was thoroughly beaten pillar to post by ‘Tarzan.’ Interestingly, Strickland also became the first fighter ever to drop Adesanya in the cage with a massive right hand.
In the aftermath, Israel Adesanya was extremely stoic and even refused to talk to the press outside. However, he did make his intentions to run it back with Strickland very clear. Despite losing the fight via a well-deserved unanimous decision (49-46), Adesanya couldn’t help but call Strickland out again.
A few weeks removed from the event, Eugene Bareman made some shocking claims about the rematch. He stated that ‘The Last Stylebender’ would only need a week to prepare for the rematch and could defeat Strickland even if the fight happened right away.
During an interview with Combat TV, Bareman reflected on his star pupils loss. Calling Israel Adesanya a “unique athlete” due to his mental and physical attributes, Bareman reminded everyone of Adesanya’s achievements. He pointed out that Adesanya has fought over 100 times at the highest level and isn’t a journeyman.
Eugene Bareman added that while they prepared the Nigerian-born Kiwi for every possible situation, they couldn’t predict Sean Strickland’s awkward style of fighting. He stated that they would train for it specifically and do a better job next time.
While there is no official announcement for the Israel Adesanya vs. Sean Strickland rematch, it’s bound to happen. Even UFC CEO Dana White made it clear that the promotion is looking at booking them again. Now, only time will tell if Adesanya can redeem himself once more.
