Two-time UFC champion Israel Adesanya got dethroned of his middleweight crown after Sean Strickland pulled off an absolute masterclass in the main event of UFC 293. While Strickland outclassed the champion throughout the bout, a video has gone viral recently that sort of hints that all was not well with Adesanya before the title fight in Sydney, Australia.
The video in question is from the open workouts before UFC 293 where Izzy is seen engaged in a fun activity with his fans in Sydney. The Kiwi fighter called two of his fans on stage and told them to perform push-ups. The ‘Stylebender’ then provided clear guidance to the two fans on how to execute the push-ups.
But, the situation took an unexpected turn when neither of the men could adhere to ‘Izzy’s’ instructions, resulting in a comical mishap. So, the fighter himself decided to join the action and show them how it’s done.
We should’ve known Izzy was going to lose when he couldn’t even do a push-up pic.twitter.com/5qnNFVUy6I
— P4P#1 Volk (@TopMMAContent) September 12, 2023
However, the two-time champ barely could do a couple of push-ups, and the ones he did were not even properly executed, according to some. Fans were quick enough to speculate about the middleweight veteran’s health condition. A fan commented, “I swear, bro, you’ve got an underlying health issue or something”. Another ‘X’ user complained, “Form is absolutely terrible for a former UFC champion”.
One fan also pointed out that this might be because of an injury, and Izzy chose not to talk about it: “probably an injury, and he is cool enough to not use it as an excuse.” Many defended Adesanya as well, arguing that he might have been exhausted after the weight cut before his fight.
Sean Strickland dominates Israel Adesanya to become the champion
Sean Strickland helped produce a historical moment when he became the first fighter in the UFC to knock down one of the greatest middleweight fighters, Israel Adesanya. Yes, this happened in the first round of the title fight in Sydney, and little did the fans know at that time that they were witnessing one of the greatest upsets to have ever occurred in the UFC.
Strickland is a well-known grappling expert, and before the fight, fans thought that was the only threat he imposed on Izzy. However, ‘Tarzan’ did not even need it as he completely outboxed Adesanya, one of the greatest strikers in the sport.
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The victory was definitely special, but the way Sean defeated Izzy to become the new middleweight champion of the world was what made it even more memorable. What did you make of this great upset? Tell us in the comments!
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