Israel Adesanya suffered a tough loss to Sean Strickland in September of 2023. New footage shows how ‘Stylebender’ dealt with the adversity behind closed doors.
We’ve got new footage of Israel Adesanya following his championship loss to Sean Strickland at UFC 293, and “The Last Stylebender” dealt with the devastating defeat with a lot of class and composure.
Adesanya was a heavy favorite coming into Sydney, Australia against Strickland but was never able to get out of first gear against the stylistically tricky Strickland. He’d end up losing their fight via unanimous decision with 49–46 scores on all three judges’ cards.
The first episode of Roku’s Fight Inc. Inside The UFC included some behind the scenes moments following the fight, including Adesanya in his locker room being consoled by his family.
Israel Adesanya backstage after the loss to Sean Strickland
“It’s a good story for [Strickland], I’m proud of him. But I’m gonna get him. We’ll get him back.”#UFC #MMA
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) June 9, 2024
“You are still the champ,” his mother Taiwo Adesanya said, giving her son a hug. “If you put your gloves down today, you are set for life. So don’t let anything bother you, okay?”
“It’s a good story for [Strickland], I’m proud of him,” Adesanya told his father Oluwafemi. “But I’m gonna get him. We’ll get him back, okay? I promise.”
“We had an off night,” Izzy’s head coach Eugene Bareman said, consoling his fighter. “Couldn’t find what we wanted but we will find it again.”
As Adesanya left the arena, cameras captured Dana White checking in with the former middleweight champion, asking if he was okay. Adesanya sighed before asking for the cameras surrounding him to pause for a moment.
“Thank you for the opportunity,” he told White in a shot taken later. “Thanks for making that fight happen. Again, it doesn’t matter. Even if it’s his night, it doesn’t matter, it’s still history. It’s a good story for him, it’s a good story for America. It is what it is, that’s the game.”
Israel Adesanya hasn’t fought since that fateful night in September 2023. “The Last Stylebender” declared he was taking some time off to re-center and refocus, and while he’s back in the gym and training we still don’t know when his next fight will be.
The UFC returns to Australia with a UFC 305 show in Perth on August 18th. Will this be when he faces Dricus Du Plessis, the current 185 pound champion who defeated Sean Strickland at the start of 2024? Nothing is for certain, but that’s reportedly when the UFC has Israel penciled in. We’ll keep you updated as that date approaches.