The winner of the Khamzat Chimaev vs. Kamaru Usman bout at UFC 294 was promised a middleweight title shot at champion Sean Strickland. Only a month ago, it would have been a fight against Israel Adesanya, whom Strickland defeated at UFC 293 in October.

And while Adesanya will not be seen in the Octagon anytime soon, he has continued the tradition of reacting to UFC cards and posting his reactions on his YouTube channel. And UFC 294 would have been of particular interest to Adesanya, as he and his close friends Alexander Volkanovski, who was headlining the card and attempting to become a double champion, and Kamaru Usman, the co-headliner, were fighting on the card.

Israel Adesanya excited for UFC 294 cards

Israel Adesanya, as per usual, posted his live reaction to UFC 294 on his YouTube channel. Adesanya had spoken about rooting for Chimaev at UFC 294, but that was when he was fighting Paulo Costa. The Brazilian was forced to pull out after an unexpected elbow surgery he underwent after a bad staph infection.

Costa’s replacement, former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman, is a fellow Nigerian and considers Adesanya a friend. And Adesanya was encouraging his friend. He was also impressed with the pace of the fight early on.

“They’re not slowing down. Fast pace straight away. Look at this f****ing brother. Let’s go Chechman. Let’s go, let’s go Chechman,” Adesanya said as the fight started.

“That’s, hey, it is what it is. It is what it is,” a seemingly perplexed Adesanya said after the decision. ‘Stylebender’ seemed surprised by the majority decision. He echoed a significant section of the UFC fanbase who felt the decision was unfair to Usman.

Israel Adesanya is on hiatus from fighting after Strickland loss

After his unexpected loss to Sean Strickland, Israel Adesanya announced he would be taking an extended break from fighting. He emphasized that he was not retiring but needed a break to give his mind and body a chance to recover. Adesanya stated that he had fought too regularly and would not fight in the near future to make certain lifestyle modifications in order to boost his performance.

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Adesanya did not say when he would return to the Octagon or who would be his next opponent. He stated that he was up to any challenge but also suggested that in the future, he would go up to light heavyweight or heavyweight. He also indicated an interest in battling Khamzat Chimaev, who will compete for the welterweight belt against Usman at UFC 294.

Sean Strickland will face Chimaev in his first title defense. However, ‘Borz’s UFC 294 performance has underwhelmed many fans who feel #1 middleweight contender Dricus Du Plessis should get the title shot next. Who do you think should Strickland fight for the middleweight title next? Let us know in the comments section below.

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