City Kickboxing head coach Eugene Bareman has made his position clear regarding longtime fighter Israel Adesanya: support, no matter what decision comes next.

Adesanya (24-6-0) suffered his fourth straight loss when he was finished by Joe Pyfer (16-3-0) in the UFC bout held out in Seattle this past March. Despite mounting calls from fans and analysts urging the former UFC middleweight champion to retire, Adesanya’s coach isn’t sure what comes next for his former champion.

Bareman Backs Adesanya Either Way

“It’s a tough one because I would fully support him if he turned around and said that he didn’t want to fight,” Bareman told Submission Radio. “But I’m also in a position where I will fully support him if he turns around and says he is going to fight. We’ve been together since the start, and that’s not going to change.”

Bareman acknowledged that Adesanya still looked competitive in recent losses. Against Pyfer, Adesanya won Round 1 on all three judges’ scorecards before being stopped by TKO in Round 2. The coach believes the rebound will be more of a mental battle than a physical one.

“I know where the changes have to be made for Israel, and I’m not going to talk about those publicly, but you see glimmers, right?” Bareman said. “You see glimmers of the old Israel. So, it’s just about turning those glimmers into longer sustained bouts of effort. He just has to do some soul searching, mate, like you do after every fight.”

Bareman added that Adesanya must “figure life out” before deciding his path forward. “He has to find it inside him. He has to search deep this time.”

Adesanya and Ulberg: No Lasting Issue

Bareman also addressed reported tension between Adesanya and newly crowned UFC light heavyweight champion Carlos Ulberg. Ulberg was crowned champion following his stunning KO victory over Jiří Procházka at UFC 327, becoming City Kickboxing’s second UFC champion.

Speaking on The Ariel Helwani Show, Bareman confirmed that Adesanya helped prepare Ulberg for his title fight. “No [there is no issue], the boys trained together leading up to this camp,” Bareman said. “They trained together leading up to Israel’s fight.”

Bareman acknowledged something may have occurred between the two fighters but noted that such friction is common in combat sports. “The boys are getting on fine, mate. … It seems like whatever had happened is behind them, we’ve moved on.”

Ulberg’s Injuries - Pre and Post-Fight

Bareman indicated that Ulberg’s knee injury might not be as serious as initially suggested. “Just a scratch, mate. He’ll be back as soon as he can, I reckon,” Bareman said, adding that Ulberg’s post-fight celebrations suggested the injury was minor.

Bareman also revealed that Ulberg had been affected by a staph infection leading up to the fight with Procházka. “He had a staph infection earlier in the camp, which basically put that leg out of contention for a week or two.” Bareman did not believe the infection was related to the knee injury sustained during the title triumph.