UFC 293 video: Israel Adesanya, Sean Strickland have awkward exchange at first faceoff

SYDNEY – Champion Israel Adesanya and outspoken challenger Sean Strickland came face-to-face for the first time Thursday at the UFC 293 pre-fight news conference.

Adesanya (24-2 MMA, 13-2 UFC) will attempt to make the first defense of his second middleweight title reign Saturday when he takes on Strickland (27-5 MMA, 14-5 UFC) in the pay-per-view headliner at Qudos Bank Arena. Prelims air on ESPNews and stream on ESPN+.

After many past words exchanged, Adesanya and Strickland squared off for the first time after answering questions from reporters. They expectedly continued to trade comments when they were standing in front of each other.

Check out the video above to see the Adesanya vs. Strickland staredown at the UFC 293 pre-fight press conference.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 293.