Kamaru Usman advises Israel Adesanya to not jump into an immediate rematch with Sean Strickland.
Adesanya (24-3 MMA, 13-3 UFC) lost his middleweight title by unanimous decision in a massive upset to Strickland (28-5 MMA, 15-5 UFC) this past Saturday at UFC 293. Usman can relate to Adesanya. He lost his welterweight title to Leon Edwards last August, then got an immediate opportunity to avenge his loss this past March at UFC 286 but wound up falling short again.
In hindsight, Usman wishes he took some time off before running things back with Edwards.
“Yes, I was definitely in his position,” Usman said on ESPN’s “DC & RC.” “I honestly, looking back now, I probably rushed it. I probably should have taken a little bit more time off and then I’m still guaranteed that shot to go fight for that title.”
Usman knows the eagerness of trying to rectify the wrong but warns Adesanya against it.
“For Israel, as a competitor, I’m sure he’s feeling a bit of this, as well, and thinking, ‘No, this guy shouldn’t have beat me in the first place’ just like I felt,” Usman said. “This guy shouldn’t be in there with me in the first place as I felt and so you want to get it back and get that stain off you right away. But if you’re guaranteed that shot, I would like to see him take a little bit of time, enjoy life.”
Adesanya competed in five title fights in the past 19 months, making relatively quick turnarounds in between each one. Usman advises his good friend Adesanya to take some time off before fighting for the title again – something he didn’t do and paid for.
“For Izzy, I think the activity might be a little too much,” Usman said. “Izzy has been fighting a lot. Between when I was champion, myself, Izzy, we were fighting for quite a few pay-per-views. Izzy’s at a point where I think he could just take a little break, and I think he can make the necessary adjustments to be able to come out there and win that fight.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 293.
