"He didn't keep the same energy" - Israel Adesanya discloses what happened when he met Sean Strickland behind-the-scenes
Israel Adesanya criticizes Sean Strickland for not maintaining the same intensity in the backstage interactions with him. Strickland is known for his brash, outspoken, and sometimes even controversial manner of communication on public platforms. However, Adesanya thinks that it’s just a facade that wears off when there are no cameras around.
Israel Adesanya is set to defend his UFC middleweight title against Sean Strickland at the UFC 293 PPV event set to take place on September 10 in Sydney, Australia. The promotions and media interactions are at their peak during the fight week. Adesanya sat down with Sky Sports for an interview recently and shared his thoughts on Sean Strickland’s antics. He said:
“I’ve owned the guy behind the scenes so many times between me and him. He just knows I have even got one of it on tape where he didn’t keep the same energy. But it’s in front of the people that he likes to show off. Backstage he just quietens up again. I’m just like, ‘Oh, there’s no crowd here’.”
Adesanya went on to add:
“Guess what? There’s no crowd in that cage either. It’s just me and him. So it’s just gonna be me and him.”
You can watch Israel Adesanya make the statement from the 04:57 mark of the video below:
Sean Strickland has attacked Adesanya on several occasions and the duo has had verbal altercations on social media as well as during actual interactions. As of now, there is no footage to back Israel Adesanaya’s claim about ‘Tarzan’.
Israel Adesanya compares Alex Pereira and Sean Strickland’s mental toughness
Israel Adesanya has had a fierce rivalry with arch-rival and former middleweight champion Alex Pereira in UFC as well as kickboxing. The rivals have faced each other four times so far, with Adesanya avenging his three losses by knocking out ‘Poatan’ at UFC 287.
While there is no love lost between the two and a fifth fight is still a possibility, Adesanya has huge respect for Pereira for being a fighter to the core. Reminiscing their random meeting at an airport following Pereira’s loss, Israel Adesanya stated in the same interview:
“Pereira kept the same energy no matter what. I saw him at the airport randomly, out of nowhere. His instant reaction was like [of an intense stare]. But then he lightened up and we were able to talk and like talk about his fight coming up because he’s a real gangster. Sean [Strickland] is just, I don’t even have words right now. It’s just that [sighs]…”
Israel Adesanya will get the opportunity to silence Sean Strickland this weekend. While he is a massive favorite heading into the title fight, MMA is an unpredictable sport where miracles can happen at any moment.