Israel Adesanya's ex-rival points out the one small detail that could've changed the outcome of Sean Strickland fight
Israel Adesanya's former opponent has pointed out one thing that could've changed the outcome of his fight against Sean Strickland.
Adesanya took on Strickland last month at UFC 293. While 'The Last Stylebender' was expected to get past 'Tarzan' pretty easily, that wasn't the case as the latter upset the odds to become the new middleweight champion.
Since the fight, a lot has been said about Israel Adesanya's performance on the night and how he did not look like himself inside the octagon. Now, Adesanya's former opponent Yoel Romero has offered his take on the matter. During a recent interview with Kanpai Media, Romero spoke about what could've changed the outcome of the UFC middleweight championship bout at UFC 293.
Suggesting that the damage Israel Adesanya took in his first fight against Alex Pereira earlier this year has affected him mentally and he's now a little bit scared, Yoel Romero had this to say:
"What I think, is right now when you have a fight and you take the damage, like [against] Alex, now Izzy has a little problem, not too much. That's what I'm thinking, now he's scared a little bit."
Catch Yoel Romero's comments in the video below (1:11:15):
Israel Adesanya's coach is confident ahead of a potential rematch against Sean Strickland
Despite being outclassed by Sean Strickland at UFC 293, Israel Adesanya's coach Eugene Bareman is extremely confident of beating Strickland in a potential rematch. During a recent interview with Combat TV, Bareman spoke about Adesanya's experience at the highest level and said:
"This is not a normal athlete, this is a unique athlete. I'm not talking about his physical and mental capabilities. I'm talking about over 100 fights at the highest level. No one else has these sorts of athletes. Because no one else has done the extensive work outside of [MMA] to gain this type of high-level experience."
Further talking about how Sean Strickland's awkwardness is what troubled Israel Adesanya, Bareman said:
"Every type of gameplan we've imposed on him, every adjustment, every look he's had in front of him. Sean brought something unique, which was his awkwardness... we have to do a better job at dealing with the style he defends in... But, Israel's seen everything, not every athlete that gets to the UFC does... None of them have 100 fights at the highest level."
Watch the video below from 23:10: