Israel Adesanya thinks it's time for him to learn his bully.
A top-2 middleweight of all time, former double UFC champion Israel Adesanya gets the itch to return to the Octagon after the worst losing skid of his career.
Coming from the back-to-back stop pages to the current champion Dric Du Persis and #1 Competier Nassourdine Imavov in February, Adesanya's series all started losing in 2023 with his heated rival Sean Strickland.
Adesanya is the preparation for his comeback battle and apparently did not forget his old rival and why would he take his title on UFC 293 in dominant fashion after spotting the middleweight champion for years, reminders brought back to youth bullies.
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Israël Adesanya shocks David Goggins to fight against Sean Strickland
Training with people like Kamaru Usman and David Goggins, Adesanya recently told the Navy Seal (with whom Strickland also has beef), he focuses his sights on the American for his next opponent.
I told Hunter [Campbell] Along, “Adesanya said on his YouTube channel.
“I told my coach here, it's time. I know who, I have a feeling with whom I want to fight.
“You will like this. I can get something back: Sean Strickland,” Adesanya told Goggins.
“No! You are going to him?” said goggins in disbelief.
Strickland was the third man that Adesanya defeated in MMA, but the first to win every round against him after he dropped him in the first minutes of their title fight. UFC 293 served as the fifth title fight of Adesanya in 18 months.
“He beat me honestly and square in Sydney, Five Nul,” Adesanya told Goggins.
“I just bought myself badly.
“That was one of the things that made me realize that I had to slow down in my activity. I fought 3-4 a year as a champion. So I'm so from, I'm going to go back now because I'm older …
“I do things differently,” said the 35-year-old.
“I don't want to apologize because he defeated me. But then I just want to show him if he has defeated me at my best. So this time I come in and I correct.”
Israel Adesanya says Sean Strickland has attacked his 'inner child'
For Adesanya, a fight with Strickland is much more than the rectification of an error.
Whether it was Alex Pereira or Dricus du Plessis, the drawn motivation of Adesanya of certain storylines and interactions with his opponents.
Of course, over the years, Strickland has a lot to say about Adesanya, from making shots on his masculinity to off-color comments about his dog, there was really no line that Strickland would not cross.
What feeds Adesanya in a rematch with strickland? Protect his 'inner child' against a large bully.
“Everything he has done since then … Because as a child I was bullied a lot,” said Adesanya.
“So in a sense he is an embodiment of that.
“He attacked a young ego, the inner child,” Adesanya said about Strickland.
“So I want to protect him and come back to him.
“I love that mentality,” Goggins replied.