Exclusive: Israel Adesanya considers Sean Strickland a bully, says CKB teammate Shane Young
UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya is set to defend his title for the first time in his second reign against Sean Strickland at UFC 293. The two fighters have had a public altercation in the past at a press conference, but the trash talk has intensified in the lead-up to and in fight week.
Adesanya's teammate Shane Young weighed in on the middleweight champion's thoughts on the fight and his bold opponent. In an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda MMA's Andrew Whitelaw, Young explained that the champ is looking to silence Strickland and his incessant comments:
“Yeah, well, I mean they’ve been in each other’s targets for a long time. Well, at least Strickland has been running his mouth about Izzy for a long time. And I think in Izzy’s mind, he sees Sean Strickland as sort of a bully and you know, Izzy doesn’t like bullies. So he’s looking forward to putting him in his place. But in terms of Sean, I think he’s just smart and that he’s like marketing himself well. And Izzy loves the fight before the fight, the trash talk.”
Shane Young will also feature on the UFC 293 early preliminary card against Gabriel Miranda. The fight will mark his seventh appearance inside the octagon.
Check out Shane Young's full comments below on the Sportskeeda MMA YouTube channel:
Israel Adesanya highlights Sean Strickland's most dangerous trait
Israel Adesanya has shown time and again that he is skilled enough to take on and defeat the very best fighters.
However, he outlined the advantage Sean Strickland held over him as the underdog in the fight. In a media day appearance, he said:
"I think that makes him really dangerous, that's what makes him dangerous. He doesn't care. He knows I'm going to beat him, so he doesn't care. He's going to try and do his best to beat me by any means necessary."
Israel Adesanya also spoke about the time that he found himself in a similar position in his rematch against Alex Pereira.
Check out Israel Adesanya's comments below [1:00]:
Watch the LIVE coverage of UFC 293: Israel Adesenya vs. Sean Strickland on September 10, 2023, on Sports Ten 1 (English), Sony Sports Ten 3 (Hindi), and Sony Sports Ten 4 (Tamil & Telugu) channels at 7:30 a.m. IST onwards.
Catch our experts Somesh Kamra & Arjun Chipalkatti on the Ultimate Guide to UFC 293, which kicks off with the live pre-show at 6:30 a.m. IST and live post-show at 11:30 a.m. IST on Sports Ten 1, Sony Sports Ten 3, and Sony Sports Ten 4 channels.