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Chris Weidman cites alleged Israel Adesanya vs. Carlos Ulberg feud, connects the dots on where the UFC icon could train

1 hours ago3 min read
Chris Weidman has talked about Israel Adesanya possibly feuding with Carlos Ulberg
Chris Weidman (inset) implied that Israel Adesanya's (left) split from CKB and coach Eugene Bareman (second from left) could be due to Adesanya feuding with Carlos Ulberg (right). UFC.com

Former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman has highlighted the alleged fallout between longtime teammates Israel Adesanya and Carlos Ulberg.

Israel Adesanya has lately set the combat sports community abuzz with his stunning departure from the gym he trained at for around 16 years, Auckland's City Kickboxing. 

Speculation has abounded that Adesanya's CKB exit might have been precipitated by the MMA superstar's alleged fallout with his longtime teammate, reigning UFC light heavyweight champion Carlos Ulberg. 

Chris Weidman, who himself is a former UFC middleweight champion akin to Adesanya, has now addressed the rumors of "Izzy's" feud against Ulberg. Weidman also hinted at a notable coach Adesanya could train with next. 

Chris Weidman talks alleged Israel Adesanya vs. Carlos Ulberg fallout, "The Last Stylebender" exiting CKB

In a recent edition of the Deep Waters podcast on UFC on Paramount, former BMF champion Jorge Masvidal, ex-UFC fighter Din Thomas, and ex-UFC middleweight titlist Chris Weidman addressed various topics. 

A notable point they touched upon was Adesanya's recent announcement of his leaving CKB and head coach Eugene Bareman. 

Weidman suggested that there could be some truth to the rumors regarding the split being caused by a rift between "Izzy" and Carlos Ulberg. Well, Ulberg has also long trained at CKB. He became the UFC light heavyweight champion earlier this year and is rehabbing an injury to return soon

Weidman explained, "I don't know what's going on with Carlos Ulberg. It seemed like Carlos Ulberg and him (Israel Adesanya) had a little bit of a weird thing. Now Carlos Ulberg is the champion." 

Also, Weidman appeared to lightheartedly assert that he could play conspiracy theorist in this regard. 

The UFC Hall of Famer opined that Adesanya had long been "the man" at CKB, putting the gym on the map by making it a coveted place to train. He highlighted that, as such, the gym attracted many younger talents such as Carlos Ulberg. 

Weidman stated, "Then you've got these young, up-and-comers coming up because they're there, because Adesanya put them on the map, like Carlos Ulberg."

He added, "Ulberg becomes the champion. He starts getting the treatment like Adesanya used to get back in the day. And there's just this weird thing where he's not getting the attention that he used to get." 

A noteworthy point over here is that Adesanya, while announcing his CKB exit, affirmed that one of the reasons behind his departure was that he wanted more personalized training that centered around him that he wasn't getting at CKB. Adesanya's next opponent and comeback date are currently shrouded in mystery. 

Chris Weidman sees Israel Adesanya potentially training with Demetrious Johnson under Matt Hume

Chris Weidman further questioned where Israel Adesanya would train next, given his departure from his longtime gym, CKB.

He immediately turned his attention to the new podcast -- the Precision podcast -- launched by Adesanya with ex-UFC flyweight champ and ex-One Championship flyweight titlist Demetrious "Mighty Mouse" Johnson. 

On that note, Weidman pointed out that Adesanya could train under the tutelage of the retired Johnson's longtime coach Matt Hume. He said, "I wonder if he goes and trains with Matt Hume." 

The former UFC middleweight kingpin also referenced his own experience, indicating that he attempted to rediscover his prime version in the latter stages of his career, but it was too late. He insinuated that Adesanya may be going through a similar phase. 

Weidman implied that Adesanya has displayed glimpses of his old brilliance in his recent fights, but the said fights have ended with him eventually falling apart and losing. 

Watch Chris Weidman discuss the supposed Israel Adesanya vs. Carlos Ulberg rivalry and more below: 

ABOUT THE AUTHORJohny PayneStaff Writer

Johny Payne is a combat sports journalist and Staff Writer at MMA Sucka.

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