Sean Strickland doesn’t see Australia as enemy territory in the slightest.
At Friday’s ceremonial weigh-ins for UFC 293, Sean Strickland made the most of his on-stage time by playing to the Sydney crowd, thanking the fans for the reception he’s received and claiming that his opponent, middleweight champion Israel Adesanya, is the bad guy in their main event matchup.
“I’m getting support,” Sean Strickland said. “Not because you guys like me, but because Izzy sucks. When I represent your country more than Izzy does, it’s easy to support me. I’m going to go have a f****** war for you guys and I’m going to f****** lose some brain cells for you f****** guys. Thank you for f****** showing me all the love. Thank you.”
Sean Strickland has repeatedly attacked Israel Adesanya’s persona in the leadup to Saturday’s title fight. Earlier this week, Sean Strickland referred to Israel Adesanya as a “cringe lord” and said that he doesn’t think anyone likes him.
Israel Adesanya hasn’t hesitated to fire back, but on Friday, he had little to say and capped off his ceremonial weigh-in promo with a silent vow to silence Sean Strickland on fight night.
“Don’t think about him,” Adesanya said. “It’s not about me, it’s about we. I’ve got a great team behind me, great countries behind me, great cultures behind me, but enough of all that. Tomorrow [raises finger to lips].”
UFC 293 takes place Saturday at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia.