"You never go full Strickland" - Israel Adesanya impressed with Sean Strickland's composed sparring with Alex Pereira
UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya is set to defend the championship against first-time challenger Sean Strickland next month. Adesanya will put his title on the line for the sixth time, his first title defense since regaining the title from Alex Pereira at UFC 287.
No.5-ranked Strickland has been training with former middleweight champion Alex Pereira since his last bout against Abus Magomedov. A fan posted a recent compilation of his sparring clips with Pereira on Twitter with an accompanying remark about the difference in his approach.
Sean Strickland is extremely calm and composed and tries to gauge his opponent in the compilation. Israel Adesanya was also impressed by Strickland in his sparring sessions against 'Poatan'. In response, 'The Last Stylebender' tweeted:
"This was actually really nice to watch. It’s a different feel when you know what’ll happen if you went full Strickland. You never go full Strickland [face palm emoji]"
Check out Adesanya's tweet below:
It is a promising sign for Sean Strickland that he is faring well against Alex Pereira, albeit in training. Pereira is the only middleweight to have beaten Adesanya.
Sean Strickland has put on a good run of form, having won both his fights this year, in stark contrast to his two-fight losing skid in 2022. The winning start to the year has culminated in an opportunity to be crowned champion for the first time in his career.
Israel Adesanya vs. Sean Strickland: Champion predicts knockout against oncoming challenger
Israel Adesanya spoke about his upcoming bout against Sean Strickland in an interview with MMA Junkie.
He was asked about his prediction for the UFC 293 main event, to which he responded with a call back to UFC 287's knockout against Alex Pereira. 'The Last Stylebender' promised fans a finish but maintained that his opponent's camp may have some ground battles in store for him:
"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."
Check out his full comments in the video below (7:05):