Former Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight
king Israel
Adesanya is going in a new direction.
Posting a video on his personal YouTube channel on Thursday titled
“I'm Leaving
CKB,†Adesanya explained that he was doing just that: departing
the confines of Auckland, New Zealand-based camp City Kickboxing.
The 36-year-old ex-kickboxer has fallen on hard times as of late,
dropping four straight, although two of his last four outings were
for his old middleweight title.
The split came effective May 20, per “The Last Stylebender,†who
does so a little under two months after losing to Joe Pyfer by
knockout in the UFC Seattle headliner. Per the fighter, he needed a
fresh start, and most importantly, personalized training instead of
being in a room full of top-ranked athletes who all vie for
attention from the coaches. Adesanya claimed it had been brewing
for a while, and that he still mourns the absence of the team as a
main part of his life.
I am not coming back to City Kickboxing
Adesanya stated, “So [Wednesday, May 20], I spoke to [head coach]
Eugene [Bareman] face-to-face, and I told him I am not coming back
to CKB,†Adesanya opened with in his video. “This was something a
long time coming behind the scenes, and we have an understanding. I
won't lie; it sucks.â€
He continued, “Grief comes in waves for me. For most people, I've
grieved before, so this, it comes in waves. I've had great days,
but also there's days where I'm like [exasperated sigh]. And it's a
long time coming, I just want to get it out [of] the way because I
want you to hear from the horse's mouth because no one else has
spoken about it. I guess those who know are waiting for the ball to
drop, so [motions a ball dropping] I dropped the ball.â€
The former champion was simultaneously gracious for those that
helped him grow over the years and crestfallen that it was the end
of an era.
“It's bittersweet,†he admitted, “but it's the right thing for me.
Especially where I am at in my career, it's exactly what I needed.
Insanity is doing the same s–t and expecting different results,
so…I think that's it, I just don't want to talk about it. It's
something like I said that sucks, I want to grieve in peace.â€
Having a bit more to get out after all, the Nigerian-born athlete
carried on, saying, “[If] people want to bring it up, that's cool,
don't ask me about it…2009 is when I first went to CKB, 2010 is
when I moved over, and I established myself in Auckland to train at
CKB. 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, and I'm proud of
that.â€
The former Glory kickboxing title challenger thanked a number of
people who helped him over the years, not limited to coach Bareman
and fellow fighters Cameron
Rowston, Brogan
Anderson and kickboxer Doug Viney.
Above all, he knows exactly what he needs in his next camp, and
that is the personal attention of a coach who can help straighten
out any issues that come up as they happen.
“What I need for myself is [holds hands pensively] focused,
individual training. So, I've made the decision to leave CKB for my
own reasons, and yeah. I'll leave it at that,†Adesanya
concluded.
Ian Machado Garry is itching to get back to another title shot, and he knows just the opponent that can get him there.
Speaking to Eze Talks Sports, Garry set his sights on undefeated welterweight contender Michael Morales. Garry is coming off of a title fight loss to Islam Makhachev at UFC 330, while Morales awaits his first championship opportunity and his next booking. In Garry's eyes, it's only logical they match up.
“For me, there's only one fight that makes sense right now and that's Michael Morales,†Garry said. “When I beat him, I'm the only one who deserves a title shot, even though me and Islam have just fought.
“Whether Islam wins, whether Carlos Prates wins the next fight, it's two massive rematches, so I go out there and I finish Michael Morales, get my hand raised, it's undeniable that I'm right back up there for the title shot. So that's what I think needs to be next.â€
Garry alluded to a potential matchup between Makhachev and Prates, the latter of whom Garry defeated in the main event of UFC Kansas City. Prates rebounded with three straight knockout victories, including wins over former UFC champions Jack Della Maddalena and Leon Edwards, and looks to be in prime position to face Makhachev when the pound-for-pound king next competes.
Morales was also a candidate to fight Makhachev, but hasn't fought since a first-round knockout of Sean Brady this past November. That win improved Morales' record to 19-0, including a 7-0 mark in the UFC. Garry would love to be the one to hand Morales his first loss.
“He's long, he's tall, he's confident, and he should be,†Garry said. “I think it's a phenomenal fight. Two of the best strikers on the planet, two of the best fighters on the planet going head to head, with the task being fighting the best in the world, going again for that belt. So it's a tough matchup, it's a very dangerous matchup.
“A guy who's got a lot of confidence, a lot of trust in his power, but I've fought very, very, very good fighters. I'm afraid of no man walking this planet and I'll step into the octagon with anyone and beat them.â€
Garry has lost just twice in 19 pro bouts – to Makhachev and Shavkat Rakhmonov. Like Morales, Rakhmonov sports an undefeated record, but has been out of action since fighting Garry almost two years ago as he's dealt with injuries.
The Makhachev defeat drew mixed reviews for Garry, who managed to snag a 48-47 score on one judge's card despite losing a clear unanimous decision. UFC CEO Dana White lambasted Garry for hugging Makhachev during the fight.
Having had a chance to review the fight, Garry saw it as a close contest, and looks forward to sharing the cage with Makhachev again.
“I scored the fight 3-2 to him,†Garry said. “I think it was 2-2 going into the final round and he managed to finish the round on my back, therefore he has to win the fight, but I was more dangerous on the feet, I was able to stop his grappling. I felt like I did everything well, and where I did everything well, so did he.
“It was such a high-level fight, such an elite-level fight, but at the end of the day, he did what he needed to do to win the fight in the last moment in the last round. I can only go from this moment on, regroup, gather myself, gather my team, look at what we did correctly, and just continue to go. I'm so young in this sport, I have the whole world at my feet. I've just got to keep going and keep a positive mindset.â€
Retired UFC fighter Diego Sanchez spent the night in jail after he was arrested on drunk driving charges in Soccoro County, N.M., on Monday.
Online court records show that Sanchez was taken into custody and charged with aggravated driving under the influence (blood alcohol level greater than .16). He was also charged with a probation violation.
KOB4 in New Mexico first reported the arrest.
It was just in February that Sanchez struck a plea deal with prosecutors in Albuquerque, N.M. after he was arrested in 2025 on multiple gun charges. As part of his plea deal, Sanchez pled guilty to a charge of shooting at or from a motor vehicle with no great bodily harm, which is classified as a fourth-degree felony
Sanchez was ultimately handed a sentence of five years of supervised probation as a result.
Part of the condition of his probation is that Sanchez was ordered to stay away from alcohol so this latest arrest could potentially trigger a whole new set of problems for the veteran fighter.
As of now, no bond has been set for Sanchez's release and he remains in lockup in Soccoro County Jail.
As first reported by John Morgan, Michael Page has been removed from official rankings eligibility following a dreary decision win over Nursulton Ruziboev at UFC Paris. It wasn’t the first time in recent years that Page has drawn jeers from fans and the media for his action-light performances.
Page’s removal presumably indicates that as of now he is no longer on the roster, especially since it was common knowledge that Saturday marked the final fight of his UFC contract. It’s possible Page signs a new deal to return to the octagon, and he’s once again promising he will be more exciting in the future.
However, if this is truly the end of the MVP-UFC era, what do you thinks his next move is?
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