Back in May, Israel Adesanya made the painful decision to end his 16-year partnership with City Kickboxing gym and its longtime head coach Eugene Bareman. He announced the split in July through a YouTube video. While Adesanya didn’t reveal much about the reason behind the decision, the move came after a four-fight losing streak. Since then, many have wondered where the Nigerian-Kiwi would end up next, and it seems he may have finally found a new home.

In a recent clip, Adesanya was seen joining reigning UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski at Freestyle MMA gym in Sydney, reportedly to begin his new training camp.

“Looks like Israel Adesanya has found a new camp,” Dovy Simu MMA posted on X. “He is training with Alex Volkanovski. Israel Adesanya announced he has left CKB in July. His nutritionist also hinted at him potentially starting training camp”

As of now, Adesanya hasn’t confirmed or denied that he has officially joined Freestyle MMA. However, the video showed him greeting Volkanovski, Mauricio Ruffy, and other members of the gym while carrying a training bag. Regardless, it wouldn’t be remotely surprising if the former champion does make the move, given his history with Volkanovski.

Although Alexander Volkanovski has always represented his Sydney-based gym in his fights, the Australian used to cross-train in New Zealand at CKB under Adesanya’s former coach, Eugene Bareman. During that time, the two fighters forged a brotherly bond and helped each other prepare for their respective fights.

Adesanya also addressed his need for a fresh environment in the video announcing his split from CKB, particularly after his devastating knockout loss to Joe Pyfer at UFC Seattle.

If he does join the UFC featherweight champion’s camp, the former two-time middleweight champion would have access to Joe Lopez, who has worked successfully with the Australian. And with his longtime training partner already there, Israel Adesanya wouldn’t be entering an entirely unfamiliar environment.

However, even with the potential benefits of joining Volkanovski’s camp in Sydney, fans remain divided over whether the move can actually help Adesanya turn his career around.

Fans react to Israel Adesanya training with Alexander Volkanovski in Sydney  

One curious fan wrote, “Idk if this helps Izzy but it’s worth a shot 😛.” Following that, a different fan felt, “W Izzy, this is where I suggested he should train.” Then another bewildered fan commented, “Izzy’s doing his camp in Sydney?”

Nothing has been confirmed so far, but Adesanya is currently rumored to fight Bo Nickal at UFC 334, which is expected to take place at Madison Square Garden in November. A month earlier, Volkanovski is scheduled to defend his title against Movsar Evloev at UFC 333 on October 24. If the reports are accurate, the timing would suggest that ‘The Last Stylebender’ has joined the camp while Volkanovski prepares for his title defense.

Still, some fans remained skeptical about Adesanya’s chances of succeeding at the new gym, particularly because Freestyle MMA primarily has fighters from the lower weight classes.

“He should join a gym with people in his weight class,” a fan wrote.

To be fair, Volkanovski’s gym does have some fighters who can hang with Adesanya in training. Most notably, undefeated 4-0 middleweight fighter Aaron Grigg. But the camp usually has fighters from the lower weight classes. Still, it won’t take much time for other fighters to join the gym with Adesanya already there.

Another fan pointed out that City Kickboxing’s nutritionist is already in Australia, “The former conditioning coach for many of the CKB guys is now based in Sydney too,” and that’s another plus for the former middleweight champ.

Another curious fan asked, “Weren’t they already training at CKB?” Well, yes, they had been training at CKB for a long time. But Volkanovski permanently relocated to Australia with his team before beating Diego Lopes for the second time at UFC 325. That suggests the featherweight champ has also moved on from Eugene Bareman, which prompted Adesanya to make the shift to Sydney.

However, bringing another divided reaction, a fan felt changing camps won’t matter: “He’s 37 and already got finished by Joe Pyfer, so drilling with a 145-pounder in another gym isn’t the hidden reset everyone is pretending it is. The style got solved years ago and the body just isn’t bouncing back.”

The fan’s criticism may sound harsh, but Adesanya has indeed been caught by his opponents, especially against the cage, multiple times, suggesting that his style may have been figured out. However, with a new camp, he can make changes to his game and attempt to bounce back one more time. Yet, the Nigerian-Kiwi being 37 also raises questions about the longevity of his career.

That said, with Israel Adesanya finding a new team, it will be interesting to see whether he can actually turn the tide and finally get back into the win column.