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UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya will go into his upcoming fight against the current light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz at UFC 259 without adding extra weight, according to his trainer and City Kickboxing head coach Eugene Bareman. While speaking to One News, coach Bareman stated that he intended to keep Israel Adesanya at his normal walk-around weight and focus their energies on better-suited endeavors.
"The thing is we're not putting on weight... the science of putting on weight and going up in weight is not gonna be a factor in this fight 'coz we've decided to make a decision to come in at our walk around kind of weight. We're hoping it gives us the kind of advantages we need to win the fight rather than stacking on some muscle," Eugene Bareman said.
Taking time off to add extra muscle before moving up in weight is a common phenomenon in mixed martial arts. Unlike boxing, there is a significant difference in weight limits of consecutive weight divisions in MMA. Having size discrepancy can have devastating results, especially in grappling exchanges with bigger opponents.
Israel Adesanya comes from a kickboxing background and his fighting style primarily revolves around feinting, effective movement, counter striking and speed. Putting up additional weight does not necessarily put him in an advantageous position against the bigger and more powerful Jan Blachowicz.
I don't think with any amount of time and any amount of weight that Israel (Adesanya) could put on, I don't think he's ever going to be stronger than Jan (Blachowicz). So we've decided let's not try to get stronger than Jan... Let's use that time to better suited endeavors... The ultimate challenge is to be the best fighter in the world regardless of weight", Eugene Bareman said.
Israel Adesanya could be on the verge of creating history
Winning and defending championship belt multiple times has always been considered the sign of a great fighter in UFC. But MMA is a rapidly evolving sport, and with each new generation of fighters, dominant longtime champions are becoming a rare occurrence.
Therefore, fighters in recent times are attempting to create a lasting legacy in relatively short title reigns rather than taking the more prolonged and riskier route of multiple consecutive title defences. Winning belts in multiple divisions is an achievement that has done just that for these fighters. Henry Cejudo is one such fighter who cemented his legacy in a short two-year title reign by defeating every great rival fighter in the history of flyweight and bantamweight division.
Israel Adesanya has been a vocal critic of fighters who put an emphasis on the importance of size advantage and has hinted at a potential move to heavyweight in the past.
“That’s stupid. That’s Jon Jones’ downfall. ‘I need to move up in weight. Pack on the size.’ They play the game so stupid. I’ve done it in kickboxing. I weighed in at heavyweight with my clothes on and a tray of Dunkin’ Donuts in my hand and I was like 90 something kgs. Like, skills bro… Ya sure you want to put on size but I’ll just chill. I’ll stay me. I’m gonna get stronger. I always do. But I’m not going to purposely put on muscle just so I can meet a weight class. It’s Stupid", Israel Adesanya said during an interview with Submission Radio
If Israel Adesanya is able to win championship titles in multiple weight classes without necessarily having the size advantage or size parity with his opponents in the upper weight classes, he will forever go down as the first fighter to defy the conventional notions of size and competitive abilities.
Israel Adesanya and Jan Blachowicz are expected to fight on UFC 259 PPV event on March 6, 2021 for the light heavyweight title. A potential win over Jan Blachowicz will make Israel Adesanya the fifth fighter in the UFC history to simultaneously hold two titles.
