Dana White Is Concerned for “Bone Dry” Israel Adesanya After Getting Dropped at UFC 293: “I Don’t Know if He’s Hurt”

The main event of UFC 293 is over, and there is a new middleweight king: Sean Strickland! Entering the fight as a massive +450 underdog, the odds weren’t in his favor. According to the experts, the American’s best shot was to take the fight to the canvas and grapple with Israel Adesanya. But defying the odds, Strickland did the unthinkable and pulled off a 49-46 unanimous decision victory.

As for Adesanya, the night wasn’t in his favor as the Kiwi found himself on the wrong end of a massive upset loss. The challenger out-struck the former champion in four of the five rounds.’The Last Stylebender’ just couldn’t dictate the course of the fight in his typical fashion, ultimately losing the UFC gold in the first title defense of his second reign as the champion. So, was it just a bad day in the office for the City Kickboxing star or something else?

Dana White opens up on Israel Adesanya’s performance at UFC 293

At the post-fight press conference of UFC 293, Dana White opened up about Israel Adesanya’s last performance. According to White, Adesanya didn’t look in his usual form from the get-go, describing the former champ’s form as ‘stiff,’ ‘very slow,’ and ‘bone dry.’ However, on the question of what exactly went wrong, the UFC president insisted on hearing ‘Izzy’s’ thoughts rather than giving his own opinion.

In White’s own words: “Only Israel knows what’s going on. I’m very curious to see what he says at this press conference tonight. You know there are a million things that could go wrong. Some days you wake up, and it’s just not there, man. You just don’t… it’s not there. He looked bone dry when he came out tonight, standing up really tall.”

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This is Adesanya’s second defeat in the past one year after he lost to arch-nemesis Alex Pereira. The former kickboxer made his UFC debut back in 2018 and went on a 9-fight win streak. Within this time, he also won the UFC middleweight gold, defending it for five consecutive times. Known for his technical striking, the fighter had looked dominant on his feet in his every octagon apperance, even during his two previous losses. But contrary to his previous fights, this time Eugene Bareman’s disciple did not have any answer to Sean Strickland’s constant pressure.

Not all is bad for City Kickboxing despite the loss of their star performer

Despite Israel Adesanya’s loss, it wasn’t all gloomy for his gym, City Kickboxing. Apart from Izzy, five of his teammates were also on the card: Tyson Pedro, Shane Young, Mike Mathetha, Carlos Ulberg, and Kevin Jousset. Out of these five, Pedro, Ulberg, and Jousset managed to secure victory, thus giving coach Eugene Bareman and other members of the Auckland-based gym something to cheer for.

Bareman, who addressed the press conference after the early exit of Adesanya, spoke about this matter. According to the MMA coach, despite the main event upset, the team would celebrate success together, including Israel Adesanya. The brotherhood between Bareman’s disciples is no stranger to anyone, and in these challenging times, this is something ‘The Last Stylebender’ would definitely need.

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