Sean Strickland and Israel Adesanya are headling UFC 293 in Sydney, Australia. The fight would be Adesanya’s sixth defense of the middleweight title and first defense after becoming a two-time champion in the division.
Strickland and Adesanya are polar opposites. Adesanya’s liberal views are at loggerheads with Strickland’s conservative views. The funny thing about the heated rivalry is that it is not filled with hate but annoyance. “The Last Stylebender” has publicly said that he doesn’t hate Strickland but is annoyed.
Sean Strickland talks about Israel Adesanya’s behavior
Daniel Cormier interviewed Sean Strickland for his YouTube channel recently, in which Strickland explained why he is annoyed about the middleweight champions’ behavior and why the fans see Strickland as representing the common man. Cormier’s interview was fascinating as it delved into deeper subjects.
Strickland compared Israel Adesanya’s demeanor to that of Michael Jordan and LeBron James who are larger-than-life characters. He further clarified that Adesanya being a larger-than-life character cannot identify with a common fan who is not superficial. Sean Strickland believes that he is the direct reflection of a common man fighting and that is the reason why he has a fan base despite being over the edge.
The pre-fight press conference showcased the clash of ideologies between Adesanya and Strickland. Interestingly enough, it was Manel Kape who had the most heated exchange on stage with the middleweight champion of the UFC. The exchange came into being after Kape threw a bottle at his original opponent at UFC 293, Kai Kara-France who was replaced by Felipe dos Santos at UFC 293.
Sean Strickland compares their bout to past matchup between Michael Bisping and Anderson Silva
During the interview with Daniel Cormier, Strickland was asked about how he plans to dethrone Adesanya. Strickland cited the fight between Michael Bisping and Anderson Silva as a motivating factor. The fight was what catapulted Bisping to a title shot with Luke Rockhold. Cormier’s assessment of the champion being a highly technical well-rounded fighter was seconded by Strickland.
Anderson Silva is in the discussions of GOAT’s of MMA. Bisping fought Siva in England and that proved to be a motivating factor for the Brit’s win. That fight was however shrouded in controversy due to Silva misjudging the referee’s call for stopping the fight. However, Bisping came back from it to win the fight 48-47 on all scorecards.
Like Bisping, Sean Strickland is inherently tough and can produce something like the Silva versus Bisping fight against Israel Adesanya. Adesanya has not been in any close fights. He has either finished or cruised comfortably in all his wins in the UFC. Strickland has a low finishing rate but can turn up the volume strikes whenever necessary.
What do you think of Sean Strickland’s chances at UFC 293? Comment below!
