Israel Adesanya's coach explains how not cutting weight is giving him an "added bonus" ahead of UFC 259

Israel Adesanya is considered to be a lean middleweight as he doesn't cut much weight to make the 185-pound limit. 'The Last Stylebender' will not have to go through an arduous weight-cutting process ahead of his upcoming debut in the light heavyweight division.

Eugene Bareman, Israel Adesanya's head coach, believes that the Kiwi champion has a good mindset heading into UFC 259. This, Bareman added, is due to the non-taxing weight cut for making 205 lbs.

Speaking with Submission Radio, the City Kickboxing head coach weighed in on Izzy's move to light heavyweight.

"He never cuts a ton of weight anyway. But any weight that you have to cut is never really a pleasant experience, even if it is a little bit. I guess the added bonus of having a fight a little higher is that he doesn't have to cut that little bit of weight," said Eugene Bareman.

"He is a little bit happier; he is able to eat with a little more freedom. A happier Israel translates to a better Israel," Bareman added.

Israel Adesanya posted a photo of himself flaunting his muscle gain in recent months. Judging by the photo, the middleweight champion appears to be 'stacking' weight to face his Polish opponent.

#UFC259 is stacked...and so am I.🥞🥞🥞 pic.twitter.com/bvmuGXacbJ

— Israel Adesanya (@stylebender) February 10, 2021

Israel Adesanya has been working on his jiu-jitsu: Eugene Bareman

Israel Adesanya has defeated all his opponents in the UFC so far with his elite striking. MMA experts like Henry Cejudo, however, have criticized the Kiwi for being one-dimensional. In a recent interview with Helen Yee, Triple C accused Adesanya of not being 'well-rounded'.

However, Eugene Bareman has revealed that Israel Adesanya has been working on his jiu-jitsu while during the COVID-19 lockdown. Bareman feels the middleweight champion has a newfound appreciation for grappling and may even utilize it in his upcoming bout.

"Normally, when we are back home in New Zealand, we're working on all aspects of the sport. Throughout Israel's career, I don't think we've ever had a chance to just singularly focus on one particular aspect. Being stuck overseas, he was just able to concentrate on the jiu-jitsu and on the grappling... he sees the value of that specialization," said Bareman.

Jan Blachowicz recently claimed that he won't hesitate to take the fight to the ground. The light heavyweight champion predicted a second-round KO but said that he is not afraid of grappling with Israel Adesanya.