Tasers and knives: The insane training tools behind UFC stars’ rise to the title

‘We’re getting tasered from now on’: The unconventional and insane methods Dricus du Plessis and Israel Adesanya’s coaches use to drive their fighters to the top.

Visser punishes du Plessis during training. Picture: Supplied/Screenshot

Dricus du Plessis’ coach Morne Visser patrols his gym in South Africa carrying a huge taser in one hand while barking out instructions to his fighter.

Meanwhile, in New Zealand, Israel Adesanya’s mentor Eugene Bareman brandishes a knife at training.

These are the unconventional training tools that have helped ‘Still Knocks’ and ‘Stylebender’ reach the top of their sport ahead of their heated UFC 305 main event in Perth this weekend.

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Visser punishes du Plessis during training. Picture: Supplied/Screenshot

“I can’t remember the exact moment when it happened, but he got to the gym and was like, ‘OK, I’ve got this’,” du Plessis said about the first day his longtime coach Visser arrived at training with a taser.

“People were laughing, but I was like, ‘Guys, I’ve known coach for 12 years, the idea’s been set, we’re getting tasered from now on. Better get used to it’.”

It turns out that first taser wasn’t getting the job done well enough.

“He tasered himself and was like ‘Okay this sucks, but it’s not that bad, get me a stronger one’,” du Plessis revealed. “So we have the big one now.

“It’s a proper one.”

Dricus du Plessis’ head coach uses a taser on his fighters if they “f*** up” 😭😭

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Somehow, the South African says, it’s not as bad as getting hit by Visser’s leg kicks.

“He has a very strong leg kick if you make mistakes continuously after he’s warned you a few times,” he said. “But the leg kicks take you out of training.

“It makes it difficult for a couple of days, so the taser is much better than that.

“It hurts a lot more in the moment, but it’s over quickly.”

Du Plessis explained that Visser only whips out the taser when someone in the gym consistently makes mistakes.

“He’ll tell you your hands are not high enough, or your foot’s not in the right spot,” he said. “Maybe your base is not right, or you’re leaning too far back.

“Whatever it may be, he’ll warn you, then warn you again. The third time, he’s like, ‘Okay, I’ve warned you twice about this, get on your stomach’.

“Then you’ll lie down and he’ll taser you right under the foot.

Visser and his taser. Picture: Supplied/Screenshot

“Then he’ll go, ‘If you can tell me what you did wrong, I won’t taser you’.

“And I’ll say, ‘My hands were down’, and he says ‘No’, and he’ll taser you again and tell you what you did wrong.

“So it’s a great reminder.”

Not to be outdone, Adesanya’s coach Eugene Bareman carries a knife. Not just in training. He carries it all the time.

“He always has a knife on him,” Adesanya said. “If he’s here, he’ll have a knife on him.

“I’ve had knives pointed at me before.”

Eugene Bareman is known to carry a knife in the gym. Picture: Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

Adesanya’s teammate, Dan Hooker backs up those claims.

“That’s one hundred per cent true,” he said. “It does work.

“I definitely listen, that’s one thing I’ve learned. If a man has a knife, I listen to what he’s saying a lot more.”

But is a large knife the more effective form of discipline and control than a taser?

“I think so,” Hooker said. “A taser would hurt for a bit, but a knife would hurt for a lot longer.”

Originally published as Tasers and knives: The insane training tools behind UFC stars’ rise to the title