Israel Adesanya, the former UFC middleweight champion, is looking forward to a potential rematch with Sean Strickland.
Adesanya (24-3 MMA, 13-3 UFC) lost his title to Strickland (28-6 MMA, 15-6 UFC) in the main event of UFC 293 last September. Following this, Strickland lost the belt to Drikas du Plessis at UFC 297, putting Adesanya back in the title picture.
Du Plessis (21-2 MMA, 7-0 UFC) reached out to Adesanya, offering to co-headline with him at UFC 300 on April 13th, but Adesanya turned down the offer. While Adesanya is currently focused on du Plessis, he sees a rematch with Strickland in his future.
“It took me six years to achieve this,” Adesanya remarked about his loss to Alex Pereira during an episode of “This Past Weekend” w/Theo Fung. “With Strickland, it won’t be the same. First, I will address DDP (Du Plessis). I’m anticipating the next fight. Looking ahead excites me. However, I try not to dwell on it.
“I am confident that a rematch with Strickland will happen. I am currently in a good place mentally and physically. I’ve analyzed what went wrong in that fight and learned from it. It was not my night. Strickland is a remarkable fighter and a deserving champion. He succeeded in his time. He defeated me fair and square. His victory was remarkable.”
Although Adesanya was disappointed with his loss to Strickland, he is determined to redeem himself.
“That night belonged to him,” Adesanya acknowledged. “He fought flawlessly without any excuses. I have to give him credit for that. Nevertheless, I have patience and believe that time will reveal what’s in store. I reflect, recalibrate, and persist in pursuing my goals.”
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