"Insecure wasteman" - Israel Adesanya blasts Sean Strickland for knocking out partner in sparring
Israel Adesanya has put Sean Strickland on blast for knocking out his training partner during a sparring session.
The pair of middleweights are set to clash in the main event of UFC 293 in September. According to 'The Last Stylebender', it took a lot of convincing on his part for UFC matchmakers to agree to scheduling a bout with Strickland.
'Tarzan' is a notoriously controversial figure in MMA and has made some rather outlandish comments, including his desire to take a life inside the octagon. But Israel Adesanya has already warned Sean Strickland that if he starts trash-talking during their fight, there will be brutal consequences.
'The Last Stylebender' recently took to X (formerly Twitter) to share footage of his upcoming opponent knocking a training partner out with a head kick. Adesanya appeared to think very little of Strickland's actions and wrote:
"Imagine doing this and thinking 'yea, good work today.' Useless insecure wasteman."
Check out the post and the video below:
Israel Adesanya initially appeared likely to face surging contender Dricus du Plessis at UFC 293, following the South African's incredible KO win over Robert Whittaker at UFC 290.
But du Plessis entered the octagon against Whittaker with a pre-existing injury, and despite not picking up any noticeable damage during the fight, he has been ruled out of a date with Adesanya in September.
Israel Adesanya predicts a KO finish against Sean Strickland at UFC 293
Israel Adesanya is set to make the first defense of his second reign as UFC middleweight champion against Sean Strickland next month.
The pair will do battle in Sydney in the main event of UFC 293, and 'The Last Stylebender' recently shared his prediction for the much-anticipated bout.
Both men are known as strikers, but at face value, it would be fair to say that Israel Adesanya's striking is far more advanced than that of Sean Strickland.
'The Last Stylebender' is a slick and technical counter-striker, whilst 'Tarzan' often uses relentless pressure and a high output of strikes to overwhelm opponents.
When predicting the outcome of Adesanya vs. Strickland, it's difficult to look past 'Tarzan's' KO defeat to Alex Pereira at UFC 276. 'The Last Stylebender' is equally if not more gifted than 'Poatan' as a striker, and the middleweight champion is currently a -455 favorite over Sean Strickland.
Adesanya was recently interviewed by Mike Bohn for MMA Junkie, where he said:
"Same kind of outcome [as against Alex Pereira]. He's getting knocked out, he's getting knocked out in this fight. But I really believe his team will try and get him to wrestle, or clinch with me."
Watch the video below from 7:05: