What’s Next for Sean Strickland and Israel Adesanya? Immediate Rematch?

Summary:

In a surprising turn of events, Sean Strickland has become the new middleweight champion of the world. Many fans, including myself, did not see this coming. But upon analyzing the fight, it becomes clear that Israel Adesanya struggled to deal with the pressure imposed by Strickland. In this article, we will delve into the details of the fight and discuss what the future holds for both fighters.

Strickland’s Dominance

One key observation from the fight was Strickland’s ability to neutralize Adesanya’s leg kicks. By taking away this weapon, Strickland prevented Adesanya from finding his rhythm. Additionally, Adesanya seemed unable to react to Strickland’s feints, which further limited his offensive capabilities. Strickland simply walked Adesanya down, throwing straight punches and countering his opponent’s looping hooks. This strategy proved effective, as Strickland secured a dominant victory in round one and continued his success in the subsequent rounds.

Adesanya’s Struggles

It is evident that Adesanya does not handle pressure well. He struggled to move laterally and was unable to find answers to Strickland’s relentless forward movement. This is not the first time Adesanya has faced difficulties against opponents who outstrike him. In fact, two of his losses in the UFC have come from fighters who were able to exploit this weakness.

The Rematch Debate

Following the fight, there has been a debate about whether Adesanya deserves a rematch. While some argue that he should be given another chance, considering his previous accomplishments and his popularity as an entertainer, others, including Daniel Cormier, believe that a rematch is not warranted. Adesanya lost four rounds to one in this fight, and another loss to Strickland would further tarnish his legacy.

Strategic Considerations

If Adesanya decides to pursue a rematch, he needs to carefully consider his approach. It may be wise for him to take a break and allow the division to move on without him for a while. By doing so, he can raise his stock value and make fans miss him. Additionally, Adesanya should focus on improving his skills in areas where he has shown weaknesses, such as dealing with pressure and diversifying his striking techniques.

The Age Factor

Another factor to consider is Adesanya’s age. At 34 years old, he may be starting to decline skill-wise. With a background in kickboxing and a significant number of fights under his belt, it is possible that Adesanya’s best days are behind him. However, it is important not to jump to conclusions and label him as falling off a cliff just yet.

Expanding His Arsenal

To stay competitive, Adesanya should consider expanding his skill set. While he has been successful with his striking, adding new techniques and strategies to his arsenal could make him a more well-rounded fighter. This could involve seeking out new coaches and training partners to learn from and improve his game. Adesanya should not be complacent and should continue to evolve as a fighter in order to maintain his reign as the middleweight champion.

The Rematch Dilemma

If a rematch between Adesanya and Strickland were to happen, it would be a highly anticipated fight. However, based on the outcome of their first encounter, it is clear that Strickland poses a significant challenge for Adesanya. Strickland is likely to come out even more aggressive in a rematch, making it a difficult fight for Adesanya to win.

Considering the circumstances, it might be wiser for Adesanya to take a step back and let the division progress without him for a while. He could observe how other fighters, such as Hamzat and Paulo, perform against Strickland and potentially face the winner of that matchup. This would give Adesanya more time to strategize and improve his skills before potentially facing Strickland again.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Sean Strickland’s victory over Israel Adesanya has raised questions about Adesanya’s ability to handle pressure and adapt to opponents who outstrike him. While a rematch between the two fighters is a possibility, Adesanya should carefully consider his options and focus on improving his skills before stepping back into the octagon. By expanding his arsenal and taking the time to strategize, Adesanya can continue to be a dominant force in the middleweight division.

Video Transcription

rolling with the Triple C imma make him

bend the knee rolling with the Triple C

don’t really count the heat so Sean

Strickland just became the middleweight

champion of the world guys

who saw this thing coming

guys I was wrong but you know what so

were all you damn fans that also you

gotta take accountability too you know

Sean Strickland

there’s there’s one thing watching that

fight that I learned in that fight you

know what it was Israel does not deal

with pressure very very well what

happened Shawn Strickland Preston Sean

Shuka took away his leg kick Sean

Strickland did not react to his face and

the simple fact that he didn’t react to

his fakes he didn’t allow Israel outside

to get to his rhythm Israel doesn’t he

doesn’t know how to necessarily move

back like laterally like everything was

pretty much like straightforward and

it’s not like Sean Strickland did

anything crazy out of the norm he

literally just walked this dude he

walked this dude down you guys know what

he did he threw straight punches as

Israel was trying to throw that limbo

hook Shawn Strickland got him against

cicadian just running things down the

middle to eventually still round one and

that’s pretty much how the rest of the

rounds pretty much went I mean does

Israel out of sight watching this fight

you know you think about it you listen

to somebody like Dana White

did I did I believe that Israel deserved

a rematch against Alex Pereira even

though he was knocked out

I could tell you yeah I really could

but after losing four rounds to one does

he deserve a rematch now and this isn’t

this isn’t Henry this is a Triple C the

the Israel the Sanya hater this is

Triple C this is this is Henderson this

he deserve a rematch

no 100 no Daniel Cormier doesn’t believe

it ciao doesn’t believe it the rest of

the whole damn world doesn’t believe it

will he get it 100 when you’re then a

wise boy when you hear his cash cow when

when you’re an Entertainer and you’ve

done special things like Israel you’ve

been able to kind of grow the sport

Dana White will give you that

opportunity now my question is for you

Israel is it smart for you to take a

fight against a guy like Sean Strickland

is Sean shooking the guy to come back

after being dominated in a five round

fight I just I didn’t see that spark in

him like it was it was a trip and the

simple fact that Sean Strickland pretty

much is round and it’s not even like

Sean sugar did anything special either

he fought him the way he fought

everybody else and he was able to win

what adjustments will God like

Israel make

this is this is why I was telling you

guys this is why I think of guys like

you know Demetrius Johnson George Saint

Pierre Jon Jones guys that when you when

you consider these guys the greats they

could mix it all if they’re losing the

Striking Department they’re going to

take you down if if you’re trying to

take them down they’re gonna strike

they’re gonna hurt you

if if something’s going on they’re going

to find a they’re going to find

different loopholes to beat you

Israel doesn’t have that the two of the

losses that he’s had in the UFC has been

to two guys who have been able to out

strike him and he hasn’t had answers for

that guys I’m not here to hate I’m here

to tell the truth you know what I’m

saying I am literally here to tell the

whole truth and nothing but the truth

um I do believe if I’m in Israel shoes I

would literally okay now it’s time to

take a break now it’s time for me to let

this division kind of move on like who

knows Israel maybe a six-month thing

maybe maybe a year if you like you you

probably could become bigger and I guess

and I’ll tell you what says Dana White

loves you so much

you know if you wait a little bit you

raise the stock value of you people want

to people want to miss you you know I

mean maybe make them miss you after a

loss remember that’s that’s two losses

in the last uh and the last I want to

say eight months and this is in this

last three fights he’s lost twice you

know yeah he had a spectacle and he he

was able to knock out Israel out of he

was able to knock out Alex Pereira but

you lose another fight like that against

against a one-dimensional fire like Sean

Strickland like that really tarnishes

your legacy now if you come back and

beat him

Kudos but you still lost to a guy like

Sean Strickland I I if I’m Israel Sonia

I’d be taking a back seat and I want to

see I want to see hamzat fight Paulo and

then I want to see maybe maybe uh do

plus C’s fight maybe the winner of that

you know or but I would I looking at

that fight now the way you were pressing

the way you were walked down

like you just there is no answer in that

sense so I think I I’m thinking now

strategically I’m not don’t think of

pride

think of tactically and strategically

how’s it that you actually wanna fight

this fight or who is it who is it that’s

going to be more

adjustable for you is it going to be a

do plus C’s or will it be a guy like

Hamza because remember those guys are

not going to pressure those guys are not

going to walk and just throw punches it

almost seems like

you had a tougher fight against Sean

Strickland than you did with Alex

Pereira the you know the first time you

found the uh the first time you fought

him in Madison Square Garden it almost

seems like that pressure is is the

biggest difference

how much more tools could Israel have in

order for him to be to still Reign and

be that middleweight champion and maybe

start stepping on the toes of a guy like

Anderson Silva I mean there’s so many

questions to be asked

but my biggest question for Israel the

Sonya is will you tactically make a

great decision maybe to wait

or technically and technically through

the physical to the side of the sport

get better in these certain areas

what you got from me Matthew so you

mentioned that Israel’s lost two out of

his last three he’s also 34 years old

he’s had about 85 90 kickboxing fights

before his MMA career is it possible you

think he’s starting to fall off a cliff

a little bit skill wise

um um I think because he’s been able to

beat a lot of his competitors the same

way through fakes through kicking and

Kudos guys I am not complaining about

that even though I may sound like a

complainer I am not complaining the fact

that Israel arasanya is a great Striker

my biggest thing is how is it that he

can mix it so for somebody to say that

he’s kind of fallen off a clip that that

might be a that might be an over stretch

but it’s probably cool if Israel Israel

is probably motivated by that and I

think that’s something that he’s proven

uh against his last fight against

Pereira to be able to get that knockout

yeah was it a risky knocker was he on

his way to get finished 100 percent

um but I don’t think so I I this is

where I think that he should probably

you know fly leave City kickboxing and

start to explore other coaches I’m not

saying leave the team completely we’ll

go out and travel the world man go out

and learn new math is go out and learn a

few more skills because even coaches

plateau and I’m not here to blame his

coach either what I’m here to say is

start to add keep your coach keep your

team keep all of these guys but start to

add to your Arsenal because now if I’m a

middleweight watching that I’m like okay

if I take it if I press Israel take away

his leg kick I’m in a much better

position my my probability gets even

higher along if I add takedowns it could

make that fight a lot easier

and so you are a proponent you don’t

think they should have a rematch but say

they do rematch each other who do you

have winning that second if they re if

they rematch each other once again

watching what was done on this fight I

do believe Sean Stricker is going to

come out a lot more aggressive I do

believe Sean’s gonna come out a whole

lot more aggressive and I think it’s

really going to complicated for a guy

like like Israel or Sanya if if I’m in

his position like I said I would

I would see I would see how Hamza does

against uh you know Apollo and then I

would I would maybe match one of those

guys up with shot Strickland I think

that’s perfect

um and I will just wait I would take my

chances with the guy that didn’t beat me

four rounds to one even though guys even

though I can tell you right now I I

don’t feel like a lot of those judges

count the lay kicks I had a 2-2 going

into the fifth and eventually Sean

Strickland ended up winning that fight

so if these guys do fight again

Israel is going to need time him Israel

if Israel doesn’t have time he’s gonna

lose to Sean stricken again in the same

fashion