​Israel Adesanya, the former Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight champion, is charting a new course in his career. In a Thursday post on his personal YouTube channel, he released a video titled “I’m Leaving CKB,” announcing his decision to depart City Kickboxing, the Auckland, New Zealand–based gym that helped shape him as a fighter. The 36-year-old former kickboxer has been enduring a rough stretch, losing four straight fights, though two of those setbacks came during his attempts to reclaim the middleweight title. The split was made official on May 20, according to Adesanya, who stepped away from the camp just under two months after a knockout defeat to Joe Pyfer in the UFC Seattle main event. He described the move as a needed fresh start and emphasized a desire for more individualized coaching rather than training in a room full of top-ranked athletes all vying for the attention of the coaches.
Adesanya said the decision had simmered for a long time, noting that he still mourns the impact of the team on his life. In the video, he began with, “So [Wednesday, May 20], I spoke to [head coach] Eugene [Bareman] face-to-face, and I told him I am not coming back to CKB. This was something a long time coming behind the scenes, and we have an understanding. I won’t lie; it sucks.” He added that grief arrives in waves for him, a familiar feeling given his past experiences, and he acknowledged that while some days have been positive, there are others marked by a sense of exhaustion. “Grief comes in waves for me. For most people, I’ve grieved before, so this, it comes in waves. I’ve had great days, but also there’s days where I’m like [exasperated sigh]. And it’s a long time coming, I just want to get it out [of] the way because I want you to hear from the horse’s mouth because no one else has spoken about it. I guess those who know are waiting for the ball to drop, so [motions a ball dropping] I dropped the ball.”
Despite the emotional weight of the split, Adesanya expressed gratitude to those who helped him grow and achieve success, while also lamenting that his decision marks the end of an era. “It’s bittersweet,” he admitted, “but it’s the right thing for me. Especially where I am at in my career, it’s exactly what I needed. Insanity is doing the same s–t and expecting different results, so…I think that’s it, I just don’t want to talk about it. It’s something like I said that sucks, I want to grieve in peace.”
The fighter signaled that there was more to say but chose to pause for the moment. If people want to bring it up, he said, that’s fine, but he prefers not to be asked about it at this time. Looking back at his association with City Kickboxing, Adesanya reflected on a long history with the gym: he first joined in 2009, moved there in 2010, and established himself in Auckland to train at CKB. He credited the gym with molding him into the fighter he became and highlighted that CKB has produced a number of outstanding competitors. He noted that he played a pivotal role in elevating CKB’s profile on the world stage, helping the gym reach a broader audience and attract trainees from around the world. He stated with pride that CKB’s growth and national and international recognition were, in part, a result of his time there and his contributions as a key pillar of the team.
As he moves forward, Adesanya’s departure from CKB signals a new chapter in his career. He did not reveal his exact plans for training going forward or whether he has identified a new camp or coaching arrangement, but he underscored his longing for a more personalized approach to preparation—one that allows him to tailor strategies and training to his needs, without competing for the attention of an entire roster of top-level athletes. While the road ahead remains to be seen, Adesanya’s candid acknowledgment of the bittersweet nature of the split and his commitment to pursuing a path that better suits his current ambitions underscores his determination to reinvent his preparation and performance as he continues to chase success inside the Octagon.