Israel Adesanya promises to make Sean Strickland pay if he decides to trash talk during their fight.
Middleweight champion Adesanya (24-2 MMA, 13-2 UFC) defends his title against Strickland (27-5 MMA, 14-5 UFC) in the main event of UFC 293 on Sept. 9 at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims expected on ESPN and ESPN+.
Adesanya already got a taste of Strickland’s verbal warfare during the UFC 276 press conference, where both fighters competed on the same card against their respective opponents. “The Stylebender” is expecting more during their pre-fight press conference, but if Strickland talks during the fight, Adesanya says it won’t end well for him.
“Just some loudmouth talking over and louder than you to try and seem like he’s got something to say,” Adesanya said on Strickland on his YouTube channel. “He has nothing to say really, he just wants to – I know the guy. I’ve seen him. I’ve pressed him before. It’s for show, so I just know what it is.
“That’s why most people are excited about the press conference because that’s his spot to shine, I guess. But I can rap, too. I just decide when I use my mouth and when I don’t. … If he’s talking to me, he’s going to get his jaw broken because when you’re talking, you’re not focused on the task at hand. Look at (Paulo) Costa.”
Adesanya would be content with beating Strickland from pillar to post for five rounds, but envisions a finish.
“Even if it’s five rounds of just dominance and styling on him, display of martial arts, I will be happy with that,” Adesanya said. “But I just don’t see that happening. I’m going to knock him out. One plus one is two: I’m going to knock him out.”
That doesn’t mean Adesanya is underestimating Strickland. Adesanya points to Michael Bisping’s upset knockout of then middleweight champ Luke Rockhold on short notice at UFC 199, so is wary of what undermining Strickland could lead to.
“I never underestimate anyone,” Adesanya said. “I was even thinking about Bisping vs. Rockhold, when Bisping finally beat him on like two weeks’ notice. He goes in there and shocks the world. That’s a possible reality. My job is to make sure it’s not in this reality. That’s another parallel universe, another timeline.
“I’m very aware of the dangers he brings and the stuff he’s really good at, so I don’t take this lightly. You guys have seen me. You’ve seen I’ve been working. I’m not underestimating this guy. But at the same time, I’m not overestimating him. I want to make this look easy. I’m going to make this look easy because of the work that we’re doing right now.”
As for Strickland as an opponent, it’s not his skillset that Adesanya thinks makes him most dangerous.
“He’s got a nice guard. He’s got a good jab,” Adesanya said. “Also, let’s be honest: He’s crazy. He’s crazy. That’s the X factor. But again, so am I.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 293.
