Days after Sean Strickland’s ‘amateur’ taunt, Israel Adesanya’s uncharacteristic UFC 293 loss draws criticism from MMA star

Israel Adesanya lost the middleweight title to Sean Strickland at UFC 292 in a disappointing performance that saw American mixed martial arts fighter outstrike the Nigerian fighter. 

The Last Stylebender’s loss was one of the main points of discussion in Sean O’Malley’s YouTube podcast. O’Malley, along with his coach Tim Welch and their friends, provided an in-depth analysis of the UFC 293 main event.

 Sean O’Malley thinks Adesanya’s defeat doesn’t resemble Pereira bout

Earlier, O’Malley who also won the bantamweight title at UFC 292, noticed a significant difference in Adesanya’s performance against Sean. “Suga” noticed that Strickland congested the space and kept Adesanya on the backfoot for the entirety of the fight.

O’Malley pointed out Strickland as one of the best strikers in the UFC, and Tim Welch also seconded the thought by highlighting the hours and hours of sparring that Strickland does, which is abnormal when compared to any other fighter. Strickland was also supported by his coach, Eric Nicksick, who noticed Adesanya’s setups. 

‘Tarzan’ and ‘Suga’ do not have a cordial relationship. Strickland has publicly stated his contempt for O’Malley and his lifestyle. However, the two fighters have mutual respect in relation to their fighting prowess inside the octagon.

Strickland labels Israel Adesanya’s performance amateurish

In the post-fight press conference, Strickland admitted that the fight against Izzy was easier than expected, even going on to label Adesanya’s performance as amateurish. Strickland, during fight week, was expecting a blood and guts war but finished the fight almost unscathed.

Sean Strickland: Hunter and Dana are probably like "this motherfucker…"#UFC293 pic.twitter.com/IFEJwhzwJg

— Jed I. Goodman © (@jedigoodman) September 10, 2023

Adesanya’s performance was deemed lackluster by Dana White as well. Not only the UFC president, but many people have also voiced their displeasure. They are of the opinion that Adesanya’s lackluster performance was due to Strickland being too good on both defense and offense under the tutelage of Danny Davis Jr. 

Lately, Strickland joked about Dana White and Hunter Campbell, the CFO of the UFC, being sad about Strickland winning due to the PR nightmare that Strickland is going to be for the promotion. 

What do you think of Israel Adesanya’s performance at UFC 293? Comment below!