Adesanya wary of ‘dangerous’ Strickland

Israel Adesanya and Sean Strickland are set to do battle in the main event of UFC 293 in September.

‘The Last Stylebender’ initially appeared likely to face Dricus du Plessis after the South African pulled off a stunning upset over Robert Whittaker at UFC 290. But ‘Stillknocks’ was forced out of the matchup due to injury.

According to Adesanya, he had to convince the UFC to schedule a fight with Strickland, as the organization did not appear too keen on the matchup.

‘The Last Stylebender’ has now previewed his opponent ahead of their pay-per-view clash, and the middleweight champion will not be underestimating Strickland at all. During a recent interview with Combat TV, Adesanya said:

“Threat meter for Strickland, to be honest, skill wise I’ll give him a three [out of 10]. But a man with nothing to lose and everything to gain is a dangerous man. That’s why I take him seriously, and that’s why I put the work in this camp.”

Both men are known for their striking ability but employ vastly different strategies to find success. Sean Strickland uses a combination of relentless pressure and a high striking output to dominate opponents, while Israel Adesanya is a more technical counter-striker who sets traps for his opponents.