Israel Adesanya has been vocal. The callouts have been loud, the message crystal clear: he wants Sean Strickland, and he wants him now. After a surprising lopsided title loss at UFC 293, Adesanya has been campaigning for redemption, hoping to run it back later this year. But just as momentum began to build for the highly anticipated rematch, an unexpected twist outside the cage may have thrown a wrench in everything.

According to a recent update on X by Home of Fight, “Sean Strickland has been suspended indefinitely by Nevada after rushing into the cage and punching a fighter following his teammate’s loss at a Tuff-N-Nuff event in June. The suspension will last until a disciplinary hearing expected in August, his punishment could be further extended following the disciplinary hearing.”

And while the word “indefinite” has been thrown around, many fans believe this is just temporary. Still, Strickland’s name is off the UFC’s matchmaking board, and that’s bad news for Israel Adesanya.

Why? After reclaiming the title from Alex Pereira at UFC 287 and then losing it again just five months later, he’s been eyeing a return to set things right. He even mentioned Strickland at the recent UFC Hall of Fame ceremony, joking about his rival’s apparent weight gain while still keeping the door open for a rematch in the latter half of this year.

In another clip shared on X by Home of Fight, the former middleweight champion can be seen talking with Alexander Volkanovski. He stated, “Speaking of which, I’ve called this dude out, have I called him out? Yeah, but now he wants to fight Belal. Why?” When the featherweight champion asked if ‘Tarzan’ had turned down the re-match offer, Adesanya responded with, “Just hasn’t said anything but again it’s easy money, c’mon, you beat me once – do it again, come on. It’s easy money, it’ll be fine. Look, if you beat me that’s it, but this one, I wanna make sure I did this right.”

Well, instead of fighting ‘The Last Stylebender,’ Strickland decided to throw punches as a corner man instead! As mentioned above, the suspension comes after Strickland, cornering teammate Miles Hunsinger, watched as his fighter lost via standing guillotine to Luis Hernandez at a Tuff-N-Uff event in June. Hernandez celebrated with a pro-wrestling-style taunting chop. Seconds later, Strickland leapt into the cage and punched him. UFC fighter Chris Curtis, also in Hunsinger’s corner, joined the scuffle. Security intervened, but the damage was done.

As Adesanya stated to Volkanovski, “So I wanna do this one time, just one more time.” But instead of signing a contract, he’s left waiting on a commission ruling. And fans aren’t holding back their thoughts either!

Fans are not worried about Sean Strickland’s suspension as his rematch with Israel Adesanya is shadowed in doubt

One fan wrote, “To be clear, this is basically the same as when fighters have indefinite medical suspensions until they get cleared. He has a hearing in August, it’ll probably be a 3-6 month suspension retroactive to the incident. Guessing he’ll be back December (if it’s <6 months) or Q1 next year.” And that’s a solid comparison. With a hearing scheduled for August, Sean Strickland could be back before year’s end, or even early next year, assuming things don’t escalate further.

Another fan noted, “So he can fight anywhere else except Nevada…?” That’s true, in theory. But in practice, most state commissions honor each other’s suspensions. The UFC typically avoids booking fighters until the original commission signs off.

One user joked, “Are they gonna make him do a PSA? Can’t wait for a Strickland public announcement about b——-.” It’s tongue-in-cheek, but it happened to Arman Tsarukyan before. And given Sean Strickland’s past controversies, it’s not that far-fetched to think some form of public apology or fine could be part of the disciplinary outcome.

Another fan added, “lol this dude got what he deserved. He’s a jacka—.” Harsh words, but Strickland’s unpredictable nature has earned him as many critics as supporters. For some, the suspension is a long-overdue consequence of reckless behavior. What do you think?

And finally, one fan wrote, “’Indefinitely’ — he’ll be back in 2 months.” That’s the most grounded take of all. Based on how similar cases have played out, a 3–6 month retroactive suspension isn’t far-fetched. If that’s the case, he could return as soon as December, just in time to reignite the Israel Adesanya rivalry.

So, what started as a simple rematch request has now turned into a waiting game with no clear end in sight. Israel Adesanya may be ready to settle the score, but Sean Strickland’s cage-side chaos has put everything on hold. Whether the suspension ends in two months or six, one thing’s for sure: their grudge match remains frozen until the Nevada commission makes its move!