Israel
Adesanya kept it brief after being on the wrong end of one of
the biggest upsets in Ultimate Fighting Championship history.
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Few expected Adesanya to have much trouble with Sean
Strickland in the UFC 293
main event, but after five rounds, it was Strickland who walked
away with the middleweight belt in tow following a unanimous
decision victory at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney on Saturday
night.
Adesanya, who is generally one of the more thoughtful athletes on
the UFC roster when it comes to interviews, made only a brief
statement at the post-fight press conference before deferring to
City Kickboxing head coach Eugene
Bareman.
“I had a different plan for this but again life throws curveballs
at you,” Adesanya said. “Win or lose, I wasn’t going to say much
anyway but right now, I lost tonight to the better man on the
night. I just want to go and be with people who care about me — my
team and they’re waiting for me so I’m going to do that.
“But I will leave you in the capable hands of a man who is much
smarter than me, I’ll admit this on worldwide national media, I’ll
leave you with Eugene
Bareman. He’ll handle this for the first time. I want to go
chill, have some breakfast, build my family and till next
time.”
With that, Adesanya exited the podium. “The Last Stylebender” later
posted a brief video on social media, promising to address the
defeat in greater detail down the road.
“Still thriving,” Adesanya said in the video. “It’s all good. I
hate losing, but I love living. I’m thriving, so yeah. I’ll hang
out with the family first, then I’ll address the people. But right
now, I’ve got to put me first. I’ve got to put me first,
Lucius.”
😎💕
I hate loosing, but I love living. What a life‼️ pic.twitter.com/PQ6R0YwZ56— Israel Adesanya (@stylebender)
September 10, 2023
After beginning his UFC tenure with 12 consecutive triumphs at 185
pounds (his lone defeat came at light heavyweight), Adesanya has
lost two of his last three middleweight appearances. An immediate
rematch with Strickland appears to be a possibility, as mentioned
by UFC president Dana White during his session with media on
Saturday.