Why Sean Strickland Won’t Attempt To Wrestle Israel Adesanya At UFC 293
Sean Strickland recently claimed that he will not attempt to wrestle with Israel Adesanya during their showdown at UFC 293.
‘Tarzan’ is set to challenge Adesanya for the middleweight title at UFC 293 on September 9 in Sydney, Australia. Strickland was called up for a title shot after Dricus Du Plessis pulled out of the bout due to injury.
While Strickland has established himself as a durable and forward-pressing striker, many expect him to employ a more grappling-heavy strategy against a former kickboxing champion like ‘The Last Stylebender.’ However, it seems the brashly outspoken middleweight has no such plans.
In a recent interview with Nina-Marie Daniele, Sean Strickland revealed that he’s been sharpening his wrestling skills in training. However, he believes he might just choose to trade blows with Israel Adesanya if he feels like it. He stated:
“I’ve been wrestling a lot in camp. But you know, sometimes you get up there, you’re looking at the man. And I think to myself, ‘I wanna stand and bang with this guy’. So I probably should wrestle, but that’s probably not gonna happen.”
He continued to dismiss the effectiveness of jiu-jitsu in MMA and said:
“Yeah, I got one [BJJ black belt] a while ago. It’s bulls**t, doesn’t work. Doesn’t work you guys, jiu-jitsu don’t work… Why do you need a black belt when you got a gun?”
Israel Adesanya Promises To Knockout “Idiot” Sean Strickland At UFC 293
Israel Adesanya can’t wait to teach Sean Strickland a harsh lesson in the octagon at UFC 293.
It’s no secret that Adesanya and Strickland share a mutual dislike for each other. The two longtime rivals have exchanged verbal shots on social media and rarely miss an opportunity to diss one another during interviews.
During the UFC 276 pre-fight presser in July 2022, Israel Adesanya and Sean Strickland shared an extremely heated exchange. During their back and forth, Strickland made fun of Adesanya’s love of anime and flaunting his nail polish. With their showdown coming up, it seems the Nigerian-born Kiwi is looking to make ‘Tarzan’ eat his own words.
In a recent interview with MMA Fighting, Israel Adesanya discussed his upcoming fight against Sean Strickland. Promising to knockout ‘Tarzan’ with the same painted nails, Adesanya said:
“He’s an idiot. I’m not going to lose to an idiot. He says he’s not going to lose to a guy who j**ks off to cartoons or paints his nails. Well, I’m going to paint my nails for that fight, and I’m going to knock him out with my painted nails.”
