Middleweight champion Israel Adesanya faces Sean Strickland in the UFC 293 main event and says he’s going to make it look easy.
Adesanya’s not looking past Strickland. He’s taking the Sept. 10 title fight very seriously. It’s the training he’s putting in that’s going to allow him to defeat Strickland.
“I never underestimate anyone,” Adesanya said on his YouTube channel. “I’m very aware of the dangers he brings and the stuff that he’s really good at, so I don’t take this lightly. You see that I’ve been working. I’m not underestimating this guy, but I’m not overestimating him. I want to make this look easy. I’m going to make this look easy because of the work we’re doing right now.”
“I’m just taking this very seriously because a man with nothing to lose and everything to gain is a dangerous man.”
Strickland is notorious for his smack talk. He knows how to build interest in a fight. Everyone anticipates the press conferences leading up to the fight to be entertaining.
Adesanya’s expecting,”just some loud-mouth talking over, louder than you do trying to seem like he’s got something to say. He’s got nothing to say really. I know the guy. I’ve seen him. I’ve pressed him before. It’s for show, so I know what it is.”
Adesanya warned Strickland about talking smack during the fight.
“If he’s talking to me, he’s going to get his jaw broken,” said Adesanya. “He’s going to get his jaw broken because when you’re talking you’re not focused on the task at hand.”
“Verbally, I don have to say sh*t. My work will do that talking and he’ll feel me. When I say feel me, they don’ t understand. They’ll feel me. I hope he talks to me because he’ll get his jaw broken.”
As far as Adesanya’s prediction for the fight, he doesn’t see the fight going the distance.
“I’m going to knock him out,” he said.
https://www.mmaweekly.com/ufcnews/israel-adesanya-on-sean-strickland-fight-im-going-to-make-it-look-easy