While UFC president Dana White is confident that the middleweight title fight between Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira will be a banger, Sean Strickland doesn’t see it that way.
Adesanya (23-1 MMA, 12-1 UFC) and Pereira (6-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) soon will meet after both men picked up victories earlier this month at UFC 276. Adesanya won a unanimous decision against Jared Cannonier in the night’s main event, while Pereira knocked out Strickland in the first round of their fight earlier on the main card.
Adesanya’s performance was a technical display of dominance, but it failed to deliver on the pre-fight talk from the champion, which earned him criticism from a swath of fans on social media. However, White said this past weekend that he guarantees Adesanya vs. Pereira will be “bat-shit nuts.”
Strickland believes otherwise.
“Let me tell you something: Just because you can fight doesn’t mean you’re not a b*tch,” Strickland told “The Schmo.” “Don’t forget that. Ask that to Izzy. Just because you can fight, don’t mean you’re not a b*tch. And I think Izzy’s gonna beat Alex. I think Izzy’s gonna stand there, and Izzy’s gonna bounce around and outpoint Alex for five rounds, and we’re all gonna say Izzy’s the best in the world. Doesn’t change the fact that he’s a b*tch.”
Strickland’s harsh words on Adesanya likely stem, in part, from the fact that the two men feuded entering UFC 276, which culminated with their memorable back-and-forth at the pre-event news conference.
Pereira owns two kickboxing wins over Adesanya, including one knockout. For that reason, many believe revenge will bring out a different side of Adesanya, who has four decisions among his five title defenses –but not Strickland.
“He’s gonna float around and win,” Strickland said. “But at the end of the day, no one remembers how you win; they just remember that you win. So even though he’s gonna f*cking dance around on his little twinkle toes, he’s still gonna win. I hope he doesn’t, but I still think he’s gonna win.
“F*cking Izzy.”
