Sean
Strickland’s trip Down Under has apparently already included a
run-in with a fan.
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In an interview with
Fox Sports Australia, the UFC middleweight revealed that he
punched a supporter of the middleweight champion in the stomach
after he told Strickland “Izzy is gonna f—-k you up.”
“Boom, right in the guts,” Strickland said. “I’d only been in
Australia a day and already I’d committed an assault. Initially, I
thought the guy was coming up for a photo. Because anybody who
wants a photo, man, I love the fans. But if you wanna come up to me
and run your f—-ing mouth, I’ll smack you like I smack anybody
else.
“Uppercut to his stomach. Then I walked away. But if I see the guy
again, man, no problems. … I’ll thank him for not pressing
charges.”
Strickland has risen to prominence in the UFC thanks in large part
to an outspoken persona known for making controversial remarks.
Whether this particular claim proves to be true remains to seen,
but according to multiple outlets, Strickland was
not present at Tuesday’s Welcome to Country event at Bangaroo —
which led to speculation that the fighter was not invited to the
ceremony due to concerns regarding his penchant for unsavory
statements and actions.
Adesanya was originally supposed to face Dricus Du
Plessis at UFC 293.
That potentially tension-filled pairing fell through when Du
Plessis was not physically ready to return following a victory
against Robert
Whittaker at UFC 290 in July. Instead, “The Last Stylebender”
will defend his crown against Strickland, who is 7-2 in his last
nine promotional appearances.
Strickland isn’t necessarily a fan of Adesanya’s overall demeanor,
because he thinks the champion believes “he’s better than everyone
else.”
“Izzy is authentic. He paints his nails, is very authentic to what
he is. He’s just another guy with a lot of money who is trying to
be a superstar,” Strickland said. “He doesn’t give a f—k about me,
doesn’t give a f—k about you, doesn’t give a f—k about the world. I
was in the airport once and took a picture with some guy and he
thanked me. He said ‘Man, I just did the same with Izzy and he was
such an a-hole, he wouldn’t even shake my hand.’ People care about
the perception we give off. And the perception Izzy gives off is
that he’s a superstar.
“He’s stuck up. “I’ve heard people inside of the organization say,
out of the organization, people like me because I’m authentic. I
don’t wear a pearl necklace. I don’t drive a BMW. I don’t wear
designer clothes. So people like me because I represent them.
People don’t like Izzy because he thinks he’s better than everyone
else — the way he dresses, the way he talks, the way he acts. If
Izzy could learn anything from me it’s get off your high horse,
people will like you a bit better.”
UFC 293 takes place on Saturday at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney,
Australia, and is headlined by the 185-pound title tilt between
Adesanya and Strickland. The main card airs on pay-per-view via
ESPN+ beginning at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT.