Dan Hooker claims Israel Adesanya will be physically different when he fights UFC 305.
Adesanya will challenge Drix du Plessis for the middleweight title in the main event of UFC 305 on Saturday in Perth, Australia. City Kickboxing teammate Hooker will also face Mateusz Gamrot on the same card in a bout of lightweight contenders.
Hooker recently revealed that Adesanya has focused primarily on strength and conditioning during his 10-month layoff, the longest of his career, and Hooker can not only see the effects in Adesanya’s physique, but in sparring sessions too.
“He’s hitting like crazy right now, to be honest with you,” Hooker told Fox Sports Australia, “and hitting like the most powerful thing I’ve ever seen. He looks absolutely terrifying. In his time off, Izzy’s been working out with a strength and conditioning coach, lifting weights and all that kind of stuff.”
“Now I hear a voice in the back of my head that’s saying something different. Before, when Izzy would hit me, kick me in the arm or shoulder, I’d be like, ‘OK, not too bad’… but now? Now when he kicks me in the arm I’m like, ‘Fuck that.’ A little voice in the back of my head starts saying, ‘Fuck, I should have studied harder in school, I should have gotten a proper job.’ Now he hits me so hard that I regret the decisions I’ve made in my life.”
UFC 305: du Plessis vs. Adesanya, Saturday at 10pm ET on ESPN+. Order now! Adesanya revealed he’s made some big changes to his training regimen, including hiring a personal chef. The former middleweight champion has also been doing a “pre-season camp” with strength and conditioning coach Abiola Beckley and is working with High Performance Sport New Zealand, the organization behind New Zealand’s success at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Adesanya revealed that the entire schedule at CKB has been rearranged for the 16-week camp.
“The whole gym schedule has been revamped,” Adesanya said, “I kept what’s useful and threw out what’s not. I’ve also moved some things to different times of the week. But by the time I’m ready, it will be a 16-week camp. I had a preseason for this camp. I’ve never done that before. I want to take it to the next level.”
Adesanya has never struggled to put on weight thanks to his superior genetics, but the New Zealander has a method to his diet that is already showing results.
“I stopped eating Uber Eats for every meal. Now I have a chef, so I’m eating whole foods, good food, and making sure I’m nourished properly,” Adesanya said. “I didn’t understand nutrition, so I just ate when I was hungry. I ate what I wanted. And I was blessed with good genes for putting on weight. I’ve never lost weight. But for me now, it’s about hard work and purpose, and I’m already seeing results.”
Adesanya lost his title in a shocking loss to Sean Strickland at UFC 293 in September 2023, while Strickland lost the belt by split decision to du Plessis at UFC 297 in January of this year.
