Despite Israel Adesanya Being a Legendary Kickboxer, Sean Strickland’s Kamaru Usman Loss Was the Motivation for UFC Champ Making UFC 293 a “Fist Fight” According to Bellator Counterpart Johnny Eblen

Sean Strickland shocked the world at UFC 293 when he outclassed Israel Adesanya to claim the middleweight title. The former champion had little to offer for the ragtag American in a battle that stayed on the feet throughout. Now, a fellow middleweight champion has stepped forward to offer his insights on Strickland’s boxing masterclass from last weekend. The champion is question is the Bellator middleweight top dog Johnny Eblen. A 13-0 veteran, the ATT starlet had quite a few insights into Strickland’s masterful performance in Sydney.

Johnny Eblen is a force of nature in Bellator. The middleweight champion also has ties to the UFC today. In fact, he’s had sparring sessions with Sean Strickland before he clinched the middleweight title away from Adesanya. In a recent conversation with Weighing In, the champ revealed Strickland’s strategic style. Eblen considers himself a smart fighter. He knows how to divide his sparring time between winning rounds and getting down with the “technical stuff”. His views of Strickland gave fans an insight into Strickland’s mindset during the Adesanya fight.

Johnny Eblen gives Sean Strickland his due credit

Johnny Eblen mentioned how he would go out to train with Sean Strickland and the two would usually train for at least a week each time. He recounted how he felt that Strickland has a fairly “different” style when it comes to the cage. The champ was asked about Strickland’s approach to the ‘Izzy‘ fight.

“How good is his wrestling?” asked Josh Thomson of Weighing In as they discussed the fight. “Yeah man, Sean can grapple,” started Eblen. “He’s not the best wrestler but it’s hard to keep that motherfu*ker down I will say that. Like, he gets the fu*k up.”

Strickland’s resilience is not unknown within the UFC community. While he isn’t a ground-game kind of fighter, he still gets back up from some of the hardest strikes and submission attempts. It’s also worth noting that his simple yet unpredictable style made it very difficult for Adesanya to land any clean blows.

“He realized I think after the Kamaru Usman fight,” Eblen continued. “He’s like I realize Jiu Jitsu doesn’t really work, like for him you know. For him, he’s not like really great off his back or anything you know, so he’s like yeah ‘I just fu*king get up now and make it a fist fight,’ you know, instead of like a grappling match.”

The champion had faced off against Kamaru Usman back in 2017. He would later go on to admit that he knew he would lose because he couldn’t handle any of the wrestlers in his camp. The lesson was quick and brutal, Strickland learned that standing up and throwing punches was his best move.

During the Adesanya fight, Strickland managed to land a massive haymaker on ‘The Stylebender’. Many suspect that Adesanya never quite recovered from the punch which ultimately led to his defeat.

Strickland didn’t immediately get his dues

A lot of denial is what came next once Adesanya lost. Fans and teammates called it an “off day” for ‘Izzy’ but Eblen recognized Strickland’s skill. It wasn’t because the former champ was out of form, it was because the champ-to-be had come prepared – “I think one thousand percent Sean won that fight because he won the fight. Izzy didn’t lose the fight, Sean won the fight.”

Also Read: “I Will Forever Feel Like a Pu**y in Comparison…”: Sean Strickland Shares a “Savage” Story About His Bodyguard That Dana White and Co. Gave Him After He Punched a Fan in Australia Ahead of UFC 293

Now with the belt on his shoulder, Sean Strickland can stand as proud as he’d like. Right now, rumors and debates about an instant rematch have sparked with Dana White hinting interest as well. Will ‘Tarzan’ have to face his nemesis again so quickly? Will that be fair to other fighters? Fans are as split as they always are.

What do you think? Who will fight Strickland next? Let us know in the comments below.

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