Dana White reacts to Sean Strickland defeating Israel Adesanya at UFC 293 post-fight press conference.
Israel Adesanya (24-3 MMA) was returning to action for the first time since reclaiming the UFC middleweight championship with a second-round knockout victory over longtime rival Alex Pereira this past April. ‘Stylebender’ had gone 4-2 over his previous six Octagon appearances, suffering losses to ‘Poatan‘ and Jan Blachowicz, while earning decision wins over Marvin Vettori, Robert Whittaker and Jared Cannonier.
Meanwhile, Sean Strickland (28-5 MMA) entered his first career UFC title bout sporting a two-fight winning streak, his most recent being a TKO victory over Abusupiyan Magomedov back in July. Prior to that, the brash American had earned a unanimous decision victory over Nassourdine Imavov in January of this year.
To the surprise of many, including UFC President Dana White, tonight’s main event proved to be one-way traffic for Sean Strickland. The American was able to get the better of Israel Adesanya in four rounds of their five-round affair, even dropping ‘Stylebender’ during the late stages of the opening frame. It was a tremendous performance from Strickland, one which drew the admiration of most of his peers.
Official UFC 293 Result: Sean Strickland def. Israel Adesanya by unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 49-46)
Following the conclusion of tonight’s event headliner, UFC President Dana Whtie spoke to reporters and shared his reaction to Sean Strickland dethroning Israel Adesanya.
“How crazy is this game?” Dana White said to open.
“Sometimes you wake up and it’s not there,” Dana White said in reference to Israel Adesanya’s performance. “I’m not sure if he was hurt or if it was just an off night.”
As for newly minted middleweight champion Sean Strickland, the UFC boss had the following to say of his new champ:
“Nobody said that he could do it and he does it. Sean is one of the nuttiest (guys) in the sport.”
What was your reaction to Sean Strickland defeating Israel Adesanya at UFC 293?