Sean Strickland Takes Aim at Israel Adesanya’s Persona Ahead of UFC 293 Clash

Sean Strickland, set to face Israel Adesanya at UFC 293 in Australia, doesn’t anticipate being the crowd favorite, but he believes public sentiment may shift in his favor. Strickland’s confidence stems from his negative opinion of Adesanya’s personality and actions outside the cage. He finds Adesanya’s behavior cringe-worthy, from comments in interviews to painting his fingernails, and believes many people share his view.

“Nobody likes fucking Izzy. He’s a fucking cringe-lord,” Strickland said at UFC 293 media day. “Everything that guy does makes you fucking wince. Like, did he really do that? Is he really race-baiting Dricus [Du Plessis] right now? How does this play out for you? The thing about Izzy, when somebody sucks to that degree, it’s pretty fucking easy to make fun of them.

“This fucking cringe-lord. Fucking A. Even talking about him makes me want to go fucking take a shower. I feel dirty.”

Strickland is eager for their upcoming press conference, recalling the volatility of their first encounter. However, he emphasizes that promotion leads to the actual fight, which is what truly matters.

“It’s going to be a fucking war,” Strickland said. “I do think people forget how good of a fighter I am because of how much I talk, but we’ll find out on Sunday. To the death. I run my mouth so much, I think people forget I can fight.”

Regarding his game plan, Strickland trained extensively in wrestling and grappling to potentially counter Adesanya, who excels in striking. While he did the same before facing Alex Pereira and suffered a first-round knockout, he acknowledges the difficulty of taking down an agile striker like Adesanya.

Strickland recognizes the odds stacked against him as a significant underdog, but he’s motivated by the financial aspect of the fight. Winning the UFC middleweight title wouldn’t define him; instead, he values the paycheck and the enjoyment of the sport.

“Here’s the thing guys — I’ve been wrestling my ass off,” Strickland said. “But I also wrestled my ass off with Alex [Pereira]. The problem is you get in there and your dick gets a little bit hard and next thing you know, you turn it into a boxing match. Maybe I’m going to try to be a complete MMA fighter, but no promises.”

In summary, Sean Strickland is unimpressed with Israel Adesanya’s persona and looks forward to their upcoming fight. He emphasizes the importance of promotion and the financial aspect of the match while downplaying the significance of the UFC title.

“You fight a guy like that, fucking little twinkle-toes, running around, dancing around, it’s hard to shoot [for a takedown],” Strickland said. “You’re going to have to go nose to nose, dick to dick, and make it a war.”

“[The fight] means so much to me, but it’s a fucking piece of metal,” Strickland said of the UFC title. “I’m in it for the paycheck. I love this shit.

“Having a piece of metal around my waist doesn’t define me, it doesn’t make me who I am, it doesn’t make me fucking happy. It would be nice, but at the end of the day, it’s just a fight. It’s just fun.”