Remember David Goggins, the ultramarathoner once hailed as the toughest man on earth? Well, he’s been teaming up with MMA fighters to push them beyond their limits. But oddly enough, it’s not the fighters who are leveling up, it’s Goggins who’s getting tested. He joined Tony Ferguson’s camp ahead of the Paddy Pimblett fight, and we all saw how that turned out. Now, Goggins is training with Israel Adesanya, who’s navigating one of the toughest stretches of his career after three straight losses. Amidst the buzz, former UFC light heavyweight champion Rampage Jackson has stepped in with one blunt piece of advice for Adesanya: focus on the basics.

Since UFC 293, Israel Adesanya’s career has taken a downward turn. Sean Strickland first defeated the former two-time middleweight champion, then tried his luck against Dricus Du Plessis but was submitted. He later returned to the Octagon to face Nassourdine Imavov, where he was knocked out. Three back-to-back defeats have marred Adesanya, yet his trademark confidence remains intact. However, training with David Goggins has its pros and cons.

While having a conversation with Rampage Jackson on the Jaxxon podcast, the host asked him about his opinion on Adesanya-Goggins training, to which the former UFC fighter stated, “I think Izzy is probably really determined to make a strong comeback, and I don’t see any harm in training with, um, what’s his name—David Goggins. Because I feel like that would give you a lot more work ethic.”

He further added, “But this is what fighters don’t understand—sometimes when you start doing all these different types of training, you still have to focus on your martial arts. So, as long as he still makes time to focus on his martial arts and stuff like that, yeah, training with David Goggins—ain’t nothing wrong with that. You know that guy’s a beast, man.”

Rampage Jackson believes that while David Goggins may be a cardio beast, he lacks the necessary skills to train a martial artist like Israel Adesanya. To be honest, Adesanya already has the gas tank to go five full rounds. What he lacks is the ability to consistently defend takedowns and, at times, counter punches.

His battles with Sean Strickland and Nassourdine Imavov were prime examples of his lack of awareness inside the Octagon. However, unlike Ferguson, Adesanya has not lost track of his abilities. Let us have a look at what David Goggins thinks about ‘The Last Stylebender.’

David Goggins underlines what differentiates Israel Adesanya from other fighters

Israel Adesanya has fought legends to reach where he is today, but it appears his time at the top may be coming to an end. His back-to-back losses signal the end of an era in which he was an active champion, but that doesn’t mean his fighting days are over. For Goggins, Adesanya is a special individual who can turn back his downward spiral. While having a conversation about his favourite moment in the history of MMA, the Ultramarathoner emphasized that Adesanya’s victory over Alex Pereira was one of the best things that he has ever seen.

“No one, no one that I’ve ever seen—the way you celebrate, you celebrate in that moment,” Goggins told Adesanya on the FREESTYLEBENDER YouTube channel.“You’re not like, ‘Oh, I won,’ and then you come back and do it. [No], you already visualized what the f— you were gonna do because when you beat him, it happened so fast with you pulling for those arrows…That s— was sick,”

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In the game of UFC, mental resilience won’t rescue you if your jab lacks snap or your sprawl is late. It’s also worth noting that fighters like Kamaru Usman and Georges St-Pierre built legacies not on mental toughness alone but through obsessive skill refinement. Usman evolved from a pure wrestler into a complete striker. GSP famously drilled basics hundreds of times daily.

What Goggins can provide is a razor-sharp mindset. Still, unless Adesanya pairs that with refined technical training. It is especially in the wake of the current wave of pressure wrestlers in the middleweight division that he may find himself slipping further down the ranks.

Israel Adesanya appreciated David Goggins’ kind words as he stated that he visualized everything way earlier on the fight day. The former NAVY SEAL is putting Adesanya to a test, but will this be enough to get back at the green column? Time will tell. Given that, what are your thoughts about Adesanya-Goggins’ training?