Sean Strickland Has a Crazy Theory for Why Israel Adesanya Came Up Short in Their UFC 293 Title Tilt
Sean Strickland has a crazy theory as to why Israel Adesanya failed to retain his middleweight world title when the two men met inside the Octagon last year.
In the days leading up to their UFC 293 headliner in Australia, Strickland accused Adesanya of having an inappropriate relationship with his beloved dog who had since passed away. ‘The Last Stylebender’ was content to let the comments simply roll off his back during interviews and press events, but immediately following their 25-minute scrap, Adesanya’s first words to Strickland addressed the vile comments he made about a pet that the two-time titleholder loved like family.
Strickland won the bout via a decisive unanimous decision, claiming the 185-pound crown which shocked fighters and fans alike. Now on the cusp of his first middleweight title defense this Saturday night (January 20), Strickland is suggesting that the allegations of bestiality he levied against Adesanya are what ultimately made the former champ crack under pressure.
“At some point, we all lose,” Strickland said in an interview clip shared by Bloody Elbow. “And you could be like Izzy, lying in a bathtub of flower petals. You could have an entourage and people following you around, but at some point, someone is going to make fun of you for having sex with your dog and then you’re going to f*cking crumble as a human being. That’s just not me because I’m level.”
Sean Strickland Gets a Taste of His Own Medicine
The tables were seemingly turned on Strickland last month when his UFC 297 challenger, Dricus Du Plessis, struck a nerve by making light of the champ’s traumatic childhood. Their heated verbal confrontation at the UFC Seasonal Press Conference boiled over 24 hours later when the two were seated near one another at the promotion’s final pay-per-view of 2023.
Strickland lept over a row of seats and physically attacked Du Plessis. Strickland even admitted to biting the South African contender during the fracas.
Fortunately, things were quelled quickly by security staff and UFC CEO Dana White. ‘Stillknocks’ recently revealed that he was given the option to press charges against Strickland, but Du Plessis opted not to, noting that it would likely spell the end of their title tilt scheduled for this weekend in Toronto.
