Adesanya Calls New Camp His Best in Years After Gym Split

Israel Adesanya now says he could have been a better teammate. The admission comes in a camp vlog, months after he left the gym that had been his home for years.

The reason is still unspoken

When he announced the split, Adesanya called it "bittersweet" and gave no reason. The new vlog points toward an explanation but never spells one out.

He said he has been doing a lot of thinking. He made some close bonds at the gym, he said, but he feels he could have done more for people. He also said he sometimes hid behind them and let "the idiot" take over.

He added that he can't speak for others, but he is owning his part and has nothing to hide. He rejected any suggestion that he got too big for his boots.

A camp built around one man

In July Adesanya left City Kickboxing, the New Zealand gym he had called home since 2009. His team is now smaller and built around him alone. The gym he left has housed Alexander Volkanovski, Carlos Ulberg, Robert Whittaker, Dan Hooker and Kai Kara-France, among others.

In the vlog he admitted that praising a camp is a cliché. Even so, he said he can honestly say this is the best he has felt in a very long time. He called it the most fun camp he has had in years.

He said he has been in his regular fight-week shape for weeks. He expects that to show on fight night.

More than three years without a win

His next fight is rumored to be against Shara Bullet at UFC Saudi Arabia on Dec. 5. Nothing in the report confirms it.

Adesanya has not won in more than three years. He last had his hand raised when he knocked out Alex Pereira to regain the UFC middleweight title. Sean Strickland upset him before he could make a defense in that second reign.

After that he was finished in three straight fights, by Dricus du Plessis, Nassourdine Imavov and Joe Pyfer.

Source: MMA Fighting