UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya wants to make history and submit an opponent for the first time in his MMA career. The means to that end is tapping Sean Strickland in the UFC 293 pay-per-view (PPV) main event this Sat. night (Sept. 9, 2023) at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia.
I guess “The Last Stylebender” didn’t get the memo: jiu jitsu doesn’t work!
“I definitely just want to submit a couple of people,” Adesanya told TSN (transcribed by Farah Hannoun). “I’ve done the ‘Fight of the Night’ bullsh*t, it’s not for me. I like clean executions. I’ve had great performances, I’ve had shut-outs, I’ve had a loss, I’ve had a comeback — great comebacks. I think (I want to) showcase my grappling a little bit more, and just take some limbs, take some breaths away.”
Adesanya, who transitioned to cage fighting after a successful kickboxing career, has 24 victories in MMA, 16 by knockout and eight by decision. Tapping Strickland — who has yet to be submitted in 32 professional fights — would no doubt cement his status as a complete mixed martial artist.
“What do I want in my career? Submission, I definitely want a submission,” Adesanya continued. “It might be this fight. I know he’s going to wrestle. He’d be dumb not to. I know he’s going to try and mix it up. He’s doing this whole thing: ‘Man dance … man dance.’ He’s going to crotch sniff. That’s what he’s going to do. He’s got smart coaches and they will definitely beat it into him. I know they’ve been talking about it and he’s like, ‘What? Crotch sniff? I’m going to box.’ You really think he’s going to box with me?”
For the rest of the UFC 293 fight card and PPV lineup click here.