Israel Adesanya has a knack for making enemies. His rivalry with Alex Pereira goes back to their kickboxing days, and the Brazilian’s decision to join the UFC was, in part, motivated by Adesanya talking trash about him in an interview. The two fighters, however, share mutual respect.

Dricus Du Plessis made comments that the middleweight champion perceived as questioning his African heritage recently led to their bizarre and expletive-filled confrontation at UFC 290 earlier this year. And the animosity is palpable between him and his next opponent, Sean Strickland. The two got into a verbal spat at a press conference last year, and the continuous feud between the two is one of the reasons the #6 ranked middleweight is getting a shot at Adesanya and the title.

Israel Adesanya talks about spat with Sean Strickland at press conference

Sean Strickland got into a verbal tiff with Israel Adesanya at the pre-fight press conference for UFC 276 last year. Adesanya told the interviewer that he had smacked Strickland “on the a**” , and received no retaliation from ‘Tarzan’. Which is why he was surprised to see Strickland talk trash to him later in the interview.

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“That’s a good way to put it. It makes sense 100 because for me when he was on stage talking all that sh**, I was just like this ain’t the guy I just smacked on the a** backstage. I was like where’s all that energy and he’s like man I’ll come down here right now and fight you, you know,” he told the interviewer.

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Sean Strickland and Israel Adesanya to face each other at UFC 293

Adesanya will defend his middleweight title in the main event for UFC 293 in Australia next week. Dricus Du Plessis, who was originally slated to fight Adesanya pulled out to recover from a shoulder injury. The two have been going back and forth for some time now. Strickland recently discussed his dislike for ‘Izzy’ and his “low” character on his latest appearance on the JRE podcast, claiming he was untrustworthy.

He also claimed that Adesanya was Chinese rather than African, citing Izzy’s “My heart is Chinese” remarks. Adesanya has come out and talked about smacking ‘Tarzan “on the a**”, and promised to wear nail paint in his fight against the American.

Who do you think will win in the fight between Adesanya and Strickland at UFC 293? Let us know in the comments section below.

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