With a thirst for revenge, Israel Adesanya maintains hopes of a rematch with Sean Strickland

Israel adesanya x Sean Strickland . Photo: Reproduction/Twitter @ufc

Former UFC middleweight champion (up to 83,9 kg), Israel adesanya is willing to repeat what he did with Alex Poatán and 'give change' also to Sean Strickland, responsible for his last defeat and consequent loss of belt in the UFC 293, in September of last year.

During his appearance on the podcast 'This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von', Adesanya stated that, unlike what happened against Poatan, when he needed almost six years to avenge the defeats he suffered in kickboxing and later in the UFC, he intends to take revenge on Strickland well more quickly, right after dealing with the current champion Dricus Du Plessis.

See too

Highlight of UFC Vegas 87, Umar Nurmagomedov targets Merab Dvalishvili and teases: 'I don't see a threat in him'

UFC 299 highlight, Michael Page reveals relief after leaving Bellator: 'I felt undervalued'

“It took me six years to achieve this (revenge against Alex Poatán). With Strickland, it won't take that long. Let me just pass by Dricus Du Plessis first. Let me deal with him. I look ahead and just take a peek at the future, but I don't focus on that. I know the Strickland fight will happen again. I'm in a good place right now mentally and I know exactly that what happened in that fight wasn't for me. He's a great fighter. A great champion. What a reign. I mean, he did what he did. Even the way he defeated me was spectacular. It was his moment,” said the Nigerian.

Although he refers acidly to the reign of Sean Strickland, which did not feature belt defenses and ended in a defeat to Dricus Du Plessis No. UFC 297, in January of this year, Adesanya recognizes his rival's excellent performance in the September duel, but promises patience to get revenge.

“It was his night. He had the perfect fight. I didn't make excuses and I acknowledged it. But again, I'm a patient motherfucker. I wait my time, I reevaluate and I go after what I want”, he concluded.