Coach explains why Israel Adesanya’s defeat to Sean Strickland is a tougher pill to swallow than loss to Dricus du Plessis: “The Strickland loss, he’ll never get over”
Eugene Bareman has explained why Israel Adesanya’s loss to Sean Strickland stings more than his defeat at the hands of Dricus du Plessis.
As we know, Israel Adesanya is one of the best fighters of his generation. He’s also one of the greatest middleweights of all time. Unfortunately, in his bid to claim the UFC middleweight title for a third time, he fell short.
He was submitted by Dricus du Plessis in what proved to be a really entertaining championship showdown. It came, of course, a year after his loss at the hands of Sean Strickland.
In a recent interview, City Kickboxing head coach Eugene Bareman gave his thoughts on how they view the two defeats.
Bareman reveals Adesanya’s Strickland confusion
“The Strickland loss, he’ll never get over,” Bareman said. “You just fought badly, and it was unexplainable. It’s intangible. It’s not measurable what caused it. You just go down a rabbit hole of a million things. But the Dricus fight, he was doing well. It was a great contest, and he got outmaneuvered. He got outdone.
“You can figure out exactly what happened, follow the path, figure out went wrong, and it’s very traceable. Those losses are much more easier to figure out rather than the unexplained sort of losses that kind of leave you scratching your head a little bit. So, he’s fine in that respect. Any loss is hard, but trust me this one’s a lot easier to take than the Strickland one.”
Quotes via MMA Junkie
What do you believe should be next for Israel Adesanya? Which of the two do you believe is a worse defeat for the former champ? Let us know your thoughts, BJPENN Nation!
