Adesanya’s Coach Eugene Bareman Takes A Shot At Anderson Silva
Anderson Silva is one of the greatest UFC champs of all time, who started his UFC career with an impressive 16-0 record which is the longest win streak in UFC history and marked the most consecutive title defenses of 10 which later broke by Demetrious Johnson last year. Silva’s winning streak came to halt when he suffered a KO loss to Chris Weidman back in 2013 at UFC 162. Since then Brazilian is on losing streak. During that period ‘The Spider’ twice failed a drug test which tarnished his legacy, and we all know his career is on the verge of ending.
Former UFC middleweight champion hasn’t fought since capturing a questionable win over Derrek Brunson back in 2017 at UFC 208. ‘The Spider’ will look to regain his legacy when he meets the dangerous striker Israel Adesanya in the co-main event of UFC 234 this Saturday (Feb. 9, 2019) night from inside Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, Australia.
Adesanya’s coach Eugene Bareman isn’t worried what’ll happen this Saturday night as he isn’t impressed with Silva’s past troubles with PEDs.
But ‘The Last Stylebender’ who’s not much worried about former champ’s drug test failures but excited on the opportunity to meet on one of his idols. (h/t MMAFighting)
“He’s the Lance Armstrong of MMA,” Bareman told Submission Radio in a recent interview they did with him and his protege. “For me, he cheated. And I’m a very stand up guy. MMA fans, for one or another reasons, they’re not the same as cycling fans. MMA fans forget quickly when someone cheats. But I’m not like that. If you do something wrong and it’s proven and factual, then I hold that against him about it. I don’t hold it against you like I wanna beat you up, I just want nothing to do with you.”
Coach Bareman also makes sure that Adesanya clears his mind from all kind of Silva hangover before Saturday’s fight and focus on winning ways.
“Truth be told, I’ve used my position to try and help break down any possible hangovers he has with fighting someone who’s his idol,” Bareman said. “I said, ‘Well, I don’t know about him, why should he be your idol? He cheated.’ I’ve intentionally used that. That’s just the way I feel. And he might not have needed it, to be honest. He’s got a very powerful mindset himself, so he might not have needed it but if there was that one percent of doubt and stuff that was creeping into him, then I made sure that I needed to eliminate anything through the use of that.
“It was maybe a little cunning or whatever, but that’s just how I feel. And he’s perfectly right, he lulls you. Anderson lulls you, but make no mistake, he is ruthless. He will do anything it takes to win. Anything. He will go to extreme measures to win.”
‘The Spider’ is coming into this contest as the biggest underdog, and no one is giving him a chance to win. Silva may not be in his athletic prime anymore, but don’t forget he can still fight so don’t get dodged by that. Adesanya meanwhile is in the prime of his combat sports career. He is a fantastic kickboxer, counter accurately, throw in combination and is undefeated in MMA. So the coach thinks things will remain the same for Silva like Lance Armstrong.
“He sits nowhere, as far as I’m concerned,” said Bareman. “He sits the same place as Lance Armstrong sits, but it’s a difference sport, different community. I completely dismiss him. I find it – I think weird is the best way to describe it – I find it weird that people talk of him in that manner. You can’t cheat in this sport, or else it brings everything you did into complete disrepute, like Lance Armstrong. How are two people who are basically guilty of the same thing treated so differently in the sporting world. Well, it’s because of the different responses that each of those fanbases give to that crime.”
Who do you think will emerge victoriously this Saturday? Do you think Silva will able to restore his legacy when he meets Adesanya?
1 thought on “Israel Adesanya’s Coach To Anderson Silva: ‘He’s The Lance Armstrong Of MMA’”
Fuck this dude
long live the Spider.