Israel Adesanya's coach accuses the UFC of 'rushing' the fight between the champion and Alex Poatan

A. Poatan defeated I. Adesanya twice in his kickboxing days. Photo: SUPER FIGHTS montage

With Alex Poatán consolidated as the next middleweight challenger (up to 83,9kg), the Brazilian's reunion with Israel adesanya became 'a matter of time'. However, according to the champion's coach Eugene Bareman, the UFC is acting hastily, as it is afraid that the Brazilian athlete will be defeated and end the 'hype' of the rivalry with the Nigerian. The statement was made in an interview with 'MMA Junkie'.

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“They need to get (Alex) Poatan to face Israel (Adesanya) as soon as possible. Because obviously Poatan has a lot of vulnerabilities, and if they wait too long, those vulnerabilities will be exposed, and then there's no fight. So you have to push it to Israel as fast as you can before any of these vulnerabilities are exposed. So it looks like the next fight. Israel would love this fight. I think he wants the fight. So, I mean, Israel is the champion, he is the man who puts himself in a position where he can choose what he wants to do. So, it wouldn’t surprise me if that was the next fight,” said Eugene.

Even with five defenses of the middleweight belt, Adesanya has been heavily criticized for his pragmatic performances in recent fights. In his last clash, the Nigerian defeated Jared Cannonier on points, in a duel that did not excite MMA fans. The champion of the under-83,9kg division has a record of 23 triumphs and only one setback as a professional.

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