“He’s got that dog in him” - Ranked UFC lightweight takes subtle shot at Israel Adesanya hours ahead of UFC 293 clash against Sean Strickland
Israel Adesanya is locked in to defend his middleweight title against Sean Strickland in the main event of UFC 293 on September 10, 2023, at the Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia.
Back in April, Adesanya faced backlash from MMA fans for retweeting a video in which 'The Last Stylebender' can be seen cuddling his dog on a couch before engaging in inappropriate contact with the pet. Recently, these controversial clips resurfaced, garnering attention from popular YouTubers like THE MMA GURU, including a reaction from Strickland.
Leading up to UFC 293, 'Tarzan' has been relentless in taking shots at the reigning middleweight kingpin for this incident. In fact, Strickland didn't hold back even during the pre-fight press conference. He stated:
"You know what, the moment I post a video of me j**king off my dog, that will put some credibility to that. Fu*ing puppy p*rn, man? I had to double check that sh*t just to make sure it was legit. And it was legit! I followed Izzy [Israel Adesanya] for a quick second just to check. It was real!”
Check out Strickland's comments below:
UFC lightweight fighter Renato Moicano recently mocked Israel Adesanya for the same incident. Moicano tweeted:
"Adesanya is not losing tonight… he’s got that DOG in him 😅 #ufc293"
Check out Moicano's tweet below:
Sean Strickland goes after Israel Adesanya during the UFC 293 pre-fight presser
Sean Strickland stayed true to his polarizing reputation earlier this week at the UFC 293 pre-fight press conference.
When asked about his thoughts on the upcoming fight, Strickland got out of his chair and launched a barrage of insults at Israel Adesanya. 'Tarzan' even brought up Adesanya's past public disputes with his ex-girlfriend and the viral videos involving him and his dog:
"He wears a shirt to sh*t on his ex-girlfriend. This is the kind of champion we have and it's a goddamn shame. Listen guys, let me stand up for this. When I was younger, I went through some traumatic sh*t... As a man, I am a better man for it. I live a good life and do good things."
He added:
"I'm not j*rking my fu*king dog off, swearing allegiance to China and sh*tting on my ex-girlfriend. Again man, people can change, I have fu*king repented, goddamn I'm proud as fu*k of who I am, are you proud of who you are?"
Check out Strickland's comments below (from 25:30):