Former UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya announced major career news as he is leaving City Kickboxing.
Adesanya is one of the greatest MMA fighters of all time, but his career has completely fallen off a cliff in recent years as he has lost four straight fights, including three straight losses by stoppage.
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Knowing he needed to do something drastic to turn his career around, Adesanya is leaving his longtime MMA gym, City Kickboxing in Auckland, New Zealand, where his partnership with head coach Eugene Bareman resulted in one of the greatest championship runs in UFC history.
Israel Adesanya Announces He is Leaving City Kickboxing
Taking to his YouTube channel, Adesanya confirmed that he is leaving his gym of the past 16 years.
âIt’s the right thing for me, especially for where I’m at in my career. Insanity is doing the same (expletive) and expecting different results,â Adesanya said.
Thus ends Adesanya’s marvelous run with CKB, where he became the middleweight champion of the world for several years and a UFC Hall of Famer.
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After having lost four straight fights, Adesanya knew that it was time to make a switch, and you have to respect his decision to do it, as it’s not an easy one.
But given where he is in his career, it was the right call to make.
Where Will Israel Adesanya Go Next?
As for where “The Last Stylebender” will go next, we don’t yet know what his next move will be.
He has spent his entire MMA career training in New Zealand, but perhaps he would consider moving to the United States and doing his fight camp at a mega gym such as American Top Team or Kill Cliff FC in Florida.
The reality is, even with his four-fight losing skid, Adesanya is one of the most popular fighters in MMA, and any gym in the world would love to have him. So while he doesn’t know yet where his next home will be, don’t expect him to take too long to decide as he looks to get back into the Octagon by the end of 2026.
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Although Adesanya has lost four straight fights and turns 37 years old later this month, he is still one of the most talented strikers the sport of MMA has ever seen, so don’t completely write him off just yet.
Yes, his durability is not what it once was, and neither are his speed or reflexes. But he still has knockout power, as he showed against Alex Pereira in his last win.
He is also one of the biggest superstars with a brand name in the UFC, so the promotion can still give him another big fight for his next time out despite his recent losing skid.
It’s also fair to wonder if his supposed rivalry with Carlos Ulberg, the UFC light heavyweight champ, played a role in his move away from CKB, as perhaps Adesanya is considering moving up in weight now that he is getting near the end of his career.
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