Mass confusion followed when it was announced that Dricus Du Plessis wouldn’t be fighting Israel Adesanya to settle the ‘Real African’ debate. The two had been engaged in a really nasty feud and after the UFC 290 face-off, fans were sure that the two would erupt – that the fight would happen, no matter what.

However, owing to some injuries that Du Plessis sustained from his fight against Robert Whittaker, the Middleweight fighter had to sit it out. The fans were disappointed as they were expecting to see an all-out brawl between the two. But what the fans didn’t know is that one of UFC’s most controversial fighters, Sean Strickland was stepping up and taking Du Plessis’ spot. Despite what fans might be feeling about him and his upcoming fight against one of UFC’s best, Strickland’s latest mindset and training videos definitely have created a buzz.

Sean Strickland breaking a sweat for the Israel Adesanya fight

You don’t just walk into the ring with a kickboxer like Adesanya and expect it to be smooth sailing. No matter what the world thinks of Sean Strickland, the king of controversies is a smart man. He knows that in order to stand a chance against ‘Stylebender,’ he will have to work on his ground game – something Adesanya is not the best at.

Strickland recently re-shared a story where he was seen training hard. In that video, Bellator MMA Light Heavyweight fighter Alex Polizzi and he were seen huffing and puffing from, what one can safely assume, was an intense wrestling and grappling session. He added a caption praising Polizzi’s wrestling skills by saying, “Wrestling this man is like wrestling a bear lmao @eazypolizzi“.

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Fans were skeptical about Strickland’s chances against the Stylebender right off the bat. However, he is not to be taken lightly. The fighter fights smart and is currently working on his ground game. However, it seems that despite polishing his best weapon against Adesanya, Strickland just might refrain from resorting to it.

In an interview with The Mac Life, Strickland said, “I’ve been wrestling a lot in camp but sometimes you know, you get up there you look at another man and I think to myself, I want to f*****g stand and bang with this guy. So I probably should wrestle but that’s probably not going to happen. It’s not going to happen. But I should wrestle, I’ve been planning to wrestle.”

Dive Deeper – “To War”- Sean Strickland Breaks Silence With a Jibe at Israel Adesanya As UFC 293 Fight Set for Sydney

So it seems Sean Strickland is pretty confident in himself. But then again, so have all of Adesanya’s former opponents who took him too lightly. The two fighters are scheduled to fight at the UFC 293 main event which will be held on 9 September, at the Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney.

Sean Strickland and Israel Adesanya – Everything leading up to UFC 293

Neither Strickland nor Adesanya mince their words. That is precisely what makes them great entertainers, besides being great fighters. Strickland, in an effort to rile up ‘The Last Stylebender,’ proceeded to make one of his questionable comments about the fighter, stating, in a derogatory fashion, that he painted nails.

Adesanya was not one to back down and replied aptly. He called him an ‘idiot’ and proceeded to promise to knock him out with those ‘painted nails’.

Often referred to by his monicker ‘Tarzan’, Sean Strickland made another controversial statement. He recently stated that he doesn’t believe Jiu-Jitsu works and proceeded to say that he might have lost his Gi since he doesn’t wear it anymore. Adesanya, who is a purple belt in Jiu-Jitsu, hasn’t responded to his opponent’s statement yet.

The two have been going back and forth and hyping the fight quite a bit. Although most people are counting out Strickland, the ‘Tarzan’ is a fighter who can change the game in a matter of seconds. If he can figure out Adesanya’s game and close the distance before it’s too late, there might be a chance for him to take the win.

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