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.
Ultimate Fighting Championship great Alex
Pereira is the type of guy to give someone else a present on
his birthday.
Two weeks before her title defense at Karate Combat 62—scheduled
for July 24 in Miami against Juliana
Velasquez—Aline
Pereira was surprised by her brother, “Poatan,†with one of the
biggest gifts she has ever received. On his birthday of July 7, per
sources close to the situation, the current UFC heavyweight gave
his younger sister a house in Connecticut, near their training camp
of Teixeira MMA & Fitness.
Gifts that change a life
On a since-deleted Instagram Stories
post, the Karate Combat champ wrote, “There are gifts that change a
life. Today, you gave me one of them. Thank you, little brother,
for so much love and generosity. May God repay you twofold for
everything you do for me. Happy birthday! I love you.â€
The 35-year-old flyweight has bounced back and forth between
kickboxing, Karate Combat and MMA since debuting in the LFA in
2022. Her most recent appearance in any combat sport came in May
when she took home a decision over Jade
Masson-Wong at the inaugural MVP MMA event. That put her on the
first win streak of her career, although all of her professional
outings in MMA have heard the final bell.
As a Karate Combat participant, she first appeared in 2024 to knock
fellow MMA expat Dee Begley
out in the opening frame. She went on to stop Amanda
Torres early the next year, and in July 2025, captured its
first title by earning a decision over Fani
Peloumpi. This bout on July 24 at Karate Combat 62 is to be the
first defense of her 125-pound throne, and she will be facing
another ex-MMA fighter in Velasquez.
“Poatan†lost in his last UFC outing, appearing at the UFC White
House event in June and succumbing to strikes from Ciryl Gane
for the interim heavyweight belt. The former middleweight and light
heavyweight titlist attempted to become the first three-division
champion in company history, and since his defeat, has suggested he
plans on remaining at the highest weight category for at least one
more match.
Conor McGregor is returning to the UFC and has also been a figurehead promotional element within BKFC lately, and one of the bare-knuckle champions within that stable has offered thoughts on McGregor's comeback bout.Â
Franco met ‘The Notorious' at the BKFC Italy press conference that led to ‘Bon Bon' winning a high-stakes trilogy bout with Jimmy Sweeney. As he touched on his viewpoints regarding McGregor's rematch with Max Holloway at UFC 329 on July 11th, Franco said [via Bare Knuckle Bowker],
“Yeah, it's amazing to have Conor McGregor obviously in BKFC sharing his positive energy. It's great to have him involved. But yeah, it's going to be good to see him back. I'm glad he's coming back in the game. I think people like Conor needs it. All us fighters need a focus because if we ain't got fighting, there's not much we have got cuz that's all we know. That's all I know.â€
“If I didn't fight, obviously luckily I've got a gym now, but it would probably send me off the rails and I'd be going insane. I'd be trying to find things to do. So, obviously having that focus in training, definitely the best thing for Conor McGregor and he's looking in good shape. He's put his head down. He's put in the work. So, it's going to be a very good fight against Max. Max is a beast. I'm also a good fan, but obviously team McGregor. Hopefully, he's going to get the job done. Big knockout.â€
Conor McGregor seems like someone who can hold onto a grudge, as evidenced by taking the time to venemously target former rival Khabib Nurmagomedov, even though the latter has been retired for several years now. Despite their highly hyped grudge match at UFC 229 in 2018, there is clearly no love lost for ‘The Notorious'. During a fight week interview with Complex before this Holloway sequel, McGregor said [via Bloody Elbow],
“Come on, the guy [Nurmagomedov] has done nothing in the sport. 13 fights he's had in the company and three against name opponents, he had a fight with me and I was coming off the yacht. I was doing bad things on the yacht, yeah? I don't even want to say – I was partying heavy, I was up to my eyeballs in court cases and all of this. I hadn't fought in two years, I was worth $200 million, I come back and fight this f**ing guy. I did four rounds with him, I had a broken toe.â€
“I'm sure you've seen the Netflix show where I broke my foot three weeks before the bout, this guy is nothing. And where is he now also? He's gone. So I don't rate him at all, no courage, the man has succumbed to his pain and it is a damned shame! I have nothing to say to him, nothing to say about him, I don't rate him… Never fought above weight divisions, missed weight, three [major] fights, no stoppages, no knockouts.â€
“Come on, man. How many knockouts has he got? Three or four [Nurmagomedov scored two KOs in the UFC and six outside of it]. You must be mad if you think I'm going to waste my time watching that s***. His first half of his work was fighting on his father's shows in the middle of nowhere in wherever he is from, right? He's 12-0, the opponent he's fighting is 0-0! This isn't boxing, I do not rate him.â€
The bad blood between Conor McGregor and Max Holloway seems to be building.
The former two-division UFC champion McGregor and former UFC champion Holloway had to be separated in their first staredown after the UFC 329 press conference Thursday evening.
When the two UFC stars finally met in the staredown, McGregor grabbed Holloway's sunglasses and threw them to the ground. After Holloway ignored that insult, McGregor and Holloway went forehead to forehead before being separated. Holloway asked McGregor to get close again, and McGregor slapped Holloway's hands and that led them to be finally broken up.
McGregor and Holloway meet in the UFC 329 main event Saturday night. UFC CEO Dana White says it will be the UFC's biggest gate in history.
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