TORONTO – Sean Strickland’s unexpected victory over Israel Adesanya to claim the UFC championship was a moment that shook the MMA world and fueled inspiration in others.
UFC middleweight Marc-Andre Barrio, who witnessed Strickland’s historic triumph, found renewed determination to one day achieve the same level of success in the UFC.
Barrio expressed his perspective at UFC 297 media day, stating, “Seeing Shawn and Driskus fighting for the title, especially Shawn winning the title last time, proved that anything is possible. Then why not me? I’ve been in big fights before. I’ve been champion in previous promotion fights, I’ve won by TKO, so what does it take to be champion? I know what it takes. Like I said, I just need to be myself, be confident, try hard, and fight hard. After this fight, for myself, my team and the fans of the UFC, they’re going to honor my name and I’m going to go there for a big leap.”
Barrio (16-6 MMA, 5-5 UFC) is set to compete in the main card of UFC 297, headlined by Strickland in his first title defense against Drikas du Plessis. Barrio will be facing off against Chris Curtis (30-10 MMA, 4-2 UFC) in a middleweight showdown.
While inspired by Strickland’s achievement, Barrio has his own predictions for the upcoming title contest.
He mentioned, “I can see a new champion being crowned on Saturday. I think Dorikas is strong, he’s a good guy, he’s a good fighter. He can take the fight wherever he wants. It depends on how he handles his game plan. Let’s see. It’s an exciting matchup.”
For more information on the card, check out MMA Junkie’s UFC 297 event hub.
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