Former two-time middleweight champion Israel Adesanya announced that he’s leaving his longtime team City Kickboxing. “The Last Stylebender” made the announcement on his YouTube channel.
“On Wednesday, 20th of May, I spoke to Eugene [Bareman] face-to-face and I told him I am not coming back to CKB,” Adesanya said. “This was something a long time coming behind the scenes. We have an understanding. I won’t lie, it sucks. Not anymore. Grief comes in waves for me, for most people. I’ve grieved before. It comes in waves. I’ve had great days but I’ve also had days where I’m like (this sucks).
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“It’s a long time coming. I want just want to get it out of the way because I want you to hear it from the horse’s mouth. No one else has spoken about it. Those who know are waiting for the ball to drop. I dropped the ball.”
Adesanya has lost four fights in a row. He believes some change will do him some good.
“It’s bittersweet. But it’s the right thing for me, especially where I’m at in my career,” Adesanya said. “It’s exactly what I needed. Insanity is doing the same sh*t and expecting a different result. I think that’s it. I just don’t want to talk about it. It’s something, it sucks, I want to grieve in peace.”
The 36 year-old was part of CKB for 16 years. It’s the only gym he’s known throughout his professional combat sports career.
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“CKB made me into the fighter that I am today. They’ve trained a lot of great fighters. Greats. 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. I’m proud of that.”
“What I need for myself is focused, individual training,” continued Adesanya. “So, I’ve made the decision to leave CKB for my own reasons. I’ll leave it at that.”
