Sean Strickland revealed what Israel Adesanya said to him after the UFC 293 main event.
Before fighting Adesanya, Strickland utilized mental warfare against the former UFC middleweight champion. The Xtreme Couture affiliate created a narrative about ‘The Last Stylebender’ being intimate with his now-deceased dog, which gained popularity throughout the MMA community.
On September 9, Strickland backed up his trash talk with a shocking unanimous decision win to become the new 185-pound king. Similar to most title fights, the world-class middleweights showcased sportsmanship in the cage and backstage after the result was announced.
During a recent episode of The Man Dance podcast, the 32-year-old world champion revealed what Adesanys said to him shortly after their fight:
“He [Adesanya] says, ‘You talked about my family. I would never do that. I would never do that.’…I’m like, ‘Dude, Izzy, I don’t know your family.’ I don’t know if you have siblings. I don’t know even know f*ck about you. This is after the fight [at UFC 293]. He starts pointing at his neck like ‘My f*cking dog, man. My dog.’…I think the guy needs some help.”
I really thought Sean Strickland was about to defend Isreal Adesanya 😭 pic.twitter.com/RIVeqbTJvl
— 𝙈𝙈𝘼 𝙈𝙖𝙧𝙘𝙪𝙨 🏝️ (@mmamarcuss) October 6, 2023
Sean Strickland accuses Israel Adesanya of being mentally challenged
Sean Strickland has never been shy of voicing his opinion. Therefore, the UFC middleweight champion didn’t hold back while expressing his accusations about Israel Adesanya allegedly being mentally challenged.
During the same episode of The Man Dance podcast, Strickland had this to say about ‘The Last Stylebender’:
“With Izzy [Adesanya], it’s starting not to be funny. As I’m starting to understand Izzy and his love of his dog, peanut butter and all, I’m starting to realize that he could have a form of mental r****dation. There’s something f*cking wrong with this guy. Now it’s just like I kinda feel bad. I’m picking on the r****ded kid at school that eats his boogers.”
Shortly after UFC 293, the MMA community began debating who Sean Strickland’s first title defense should be against. Some people believe Israel Adesanya deserves an instant rematch, while others think he doesn’t because Strickland dominated the fight.
Meanwhile, other title contenders frequently mentioned are number two-ranked Dricus Du Plessis or the winner of Khamzat Chimaev vs. Paulo Costa, which goes down in the UFC 294 co-main event on October 21.
It should be noted that Dana White has shown interest in Strickland vs. Adesanya 2 being next, but things can change quickly in the combat sports world.
Watch the entire third episode of The Man Dance below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHcJujGNdtA