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Israel Adesanya's coach Eugene Bareman believes the UFC middleweight champion will have a mountain to climb when he faces Jan Blachowicz for the light heavyweight title next year.
In a recent interview with Submission Radio, Bareman revealed some interesting statistics to explain why Blachowicz might be the toughest challenge of Israel Adesanya's career. Talking about Adesanya's kickboxing days, Bareman revealed the one common factor in all five defeats The Last Stylebender suffered during his lengthy kickboxing career.
All the guys who beat Israel Adesanya in the past had a considerable reach and size advantage over him.
Israel Adesanya's coach explains why Jan Blachowicz could be the toughest opponent in The Last Stylebender's career
Bareman went on to explain why he thinks this was the case. He said that Israel Adesanya is a big middleweight and is used to fighting guys over whom he enjoys a reach and size advantage. However, when those advantages are suddenly taken away from him, Bareman feels that's when Adesanya is faced with a really difficult challenge.
Bareman said that he and the other members of Israel Adesanya's coaching team are looking forward to the challenging scenario of trying to overcome an opponent much bigger in size when Adesanya fights Blachowicz for the 205lbs title in the future. Bareman stressed the fact that Adesanya has struggled to beat guys bigger than him over the years and he is looking to change that this time around.
"Israel was one of the best strikers at any weight class during his kickboxing days. If you look at his record, you can count on one hand the number of times he lost, and there's one commonality between all the guys that have defeated him. They all had a size advantage over Adesanya. That's the challenge we are facing. The fact that you have spent a lifetime fighting people who you have a reach and size advantage over, and then all of a sudden you don't have the same advantages. It's overcoming that...that's going to be the key to this fight."
Israel Adesanya had a 75-5 record in professional kickboxing but is undefeated in MMA with an impeccable 20-0 record. Adesanya recently earned a spectacular TKO win against Brazilian knockout artist Paulo Costa in the headliner of UFC 253.
