“Winning the Fight Is the Easy Part”: Days After His ‘5 Weeks’ Rant, Sean Strickland Provides a Major Update on His Bout Against Israel Adesanya at UFC 293

UFC 290 was a major game-changer for the promotion. The Middleweight bout between Robert Whittaker and Dricus Du Plessis had an unexpected ending. Although a lot of people were actually rooting for Whittaker to get another title opportunity against the champ Israel Adesanya, Du Plessis actually proved to be the better man that night. Adesanya and Du Plessis were then seen confronting each other after the fight as the two yelled in each other’s faces. The stage was set for the two to meet at a later date and settle the ‘real African’ debate. But, due to an injury that Du Plessis suffered during his fight with Whittaker, the UFC was left with no option but to go with the next big name – Sean Strickland.

Strickland is one of the most controversial fighters on the UFC roster. The man has found himself facing major backlash from fans owing to his strikingly tendentious statements. When the Du Plessis-Adesanya beef was swelling, Strickland was coming off a win against Abus Magomedov. In his post-fight press conference, Strickland had admitted that he believes he has two to three more fights to win before he can be considered for a title shot. However, it seems his prospects might have gotten an ‘acceleration’ as he finds himself the favorite for a Middleweight title shot.

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Recently, Strickland was interviewed by The Schmo where the fighter divulged the details about his fight against Izzy. When asked about when the official confirmation would come in, Strickland said, “Guys, we’re working it. My man – contender’s over there – he’s out here. We’re working it. We are working it. We’re trying. I’m trying to do it for you guys. We’re trying to make it happen for you guys.“. 

Sean Strickland previews fighting Israel Adesanya at UFC 293

Sean Strickland had just gotten done with sparring and working out and it seemed he was in the mood for a little light-hearted banter. “And then, once the fight happens, all I gotta do is fight Izzy, which you know, that’s the easy part, right? Getting the fight is the hard part-making the fight. Winning the fight’s the easy part.“, he added. 

Shocked, the interviewer asked Strickland how he planned on beating the Middleweight champ who has been steamrolling through the division. “Now, I’ve never really watched an Izzy. I’ve watched clips of it, but, uh…. I don’t know man. Schmo, you watch a lot of fighting. What do I gotta do? What do I gotta do?“, asked Strickland. The interview went on and Sean Strickland seemed to be quite sure that he would be doing enough to secure a win over Adesanya. In the end, he said, “We’re gonna make it. We’re gonna make magic happen, you guys.“

With Du Plessis out of the picture, the fans are now counting on Strickland to put up a show against Adesanya. But does he have what it takes to defeat him? Is 5 weeks enough time to prepare for the Middleweight phenom?

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