After making a comeback against old rival Alex Pereira, UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya is once again set to make another title defense in the main event of UFC 293 which is scheduled to happen on Sept 9 in Sydney, Australia. He will be up against Sean Strickland, who is also a middleweight veteran but is the clear underdog according to the fight fans.
‘Tarzan‘ was not the first choice to be Adesanya’s opponent. He just happened to be at the right place at the right time, as Izzy’s new rival, Dricus du Plessis, could not recover after his fight with Robert Whittaker at UFC 290. Of course, Strickland’s victories in his last two fights also helped his case.
While most fans are writing off Strickland for his fight against Adesanya, former UFC champion Jan Blachowicz feels that the American middleweight might pull off a great upset in Sydney and for a very interesting reason. Blachowicz tweeted recently, “Strickland is such a stupid boy he might actually pull it off.”
Strickland is such a stupid boy he might actually pull it of. #UFC293
— Jan Blachowicz (@JanBlachowicz) September 7, 2023
Jan Bachowicz became the first person ever to defeat Israel Adesanya in a pro-MMA fight when he beat him in March 2021 at UFC 259. The Polish fighter Blachowicz was able to secure a comfortable victory against Izzy by unanimous decision, stopping him from achieving the legendary status of being a ‘double champ’.
Sean Strickland wins the press conference against Israel Adesanya before their fight at UFC 293
In their recent press conference, Israel Adesanya pointed out that Sean Strickland is a potential threat to him because he has nothing to lose. ‘The Last Stylebender‘ also expressed in the media event that there are no easy fights in the UFC and he is not taking Strickland lightly.
One has to admit that the UFC champion is spot on here, as Strickland was given the title shot out of nowhere. So, Strickland is doing all that he can to market the fight with his trash-talking to generate some good PPV money for the boss, Dana White.
He came with the same energy in the press conference too, as he called his opponent, Adesanya, a “China Man” several times throughout the event. He also targeted Izzy for his recent ‘dog-fetish‘ controversy. Sean received support from the Australian fans too who were cheering for him.
Izzy has been the middleweight king for a long time now and is used to the usual jazz that happens before PPV fights, but if Blachowicz’s prediction turns out to be right, this will be one of the greatest upsets in the UFC.
