Sean Strickland Critical of Israel Adesanya’s Immediate Rematch With Alex Pereira: ‘Rankings Mean F*ck All’

Sean Strickland would much rather see Robert Whittaker get a shot at the 185-pound title rather than Adesanya getting an immediate rematch

Sean Strickland
Courtesy of MMA Junkie on YouTube / @ufc on Instagram

Sean Strickland is not a fan of Israel Adesanya getting an immediate rematch against Alex Pereira.

Strickland will close out the UFC’s 2022 on December 17th when he returns to the Octagon against No. 3 ranked middleweight contender Jared Cannonier. Coming off a knockout loss to new middleweight champion Alex Pereira, Strickland spoke with MMA Junkie’s Mike Bohn about the 185-pound title picture and the likelihood of Adesanya running back his UFC 281 main event with Pereira. 

“Rankings mean f*ck all nothing. It doesn’t matter your rank. It doesn’t matter your f*cking position. If the UFC wants you to fight for a belt, doesn’t want you to fight for a belt, it doesn’t happen. They probably want Izzy to fight because Whittaker would probably just take him down and grind him out for f*cking five rounds. So they’re thinking, let’s milk this cash cow one more time with Izzy”

Though the UFC is yet to announce an immediate rematch between the two, both fighters have expressed an interest in meeting again next year. 

Sean Strickland Lobby’s For Robert Whittaker to Get First Shot at Alex Pereira

If it were up to Sean Strickland, he would prefer to see Robert Whittaker get his shot at new middleweight champion Alex Pereira. ‘The Reaper’ is 4-2 in his last six with the two losses both coming against Israel Adesanya. His victories have come against the middleweight division’s best including, Jared Cannonier, Kelvin Gastelum, and Marvin Vettori. Whittaker will return to the Octagon at UFC 284 in February to take on another top contender, Paulo Costa. 

“Me personally, I think Whittaker deserves it once he beats Costa. He will beat Costa and I think Whittaker deserves it. I think, f*cking, they should let Whittaker get a shot.”

Strickland was also asked about Israel Adesanya’s arrested at a New York airport following UFC 281 for carrying a pair of brass knuckles which are illegal in the state. 

“I don’t know dude. If he’s a real man they would have found a gun in his bag.” 

Published on December 7, 2022 at 11:37 am
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