Israel Adesanya to be handed immediate rematch after losing UFC title

10 September 2023 , 11:56

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Israel Adesanya lost his UFC middleweight title to Sean Strickland

UFC boss Dana White has confirmed Israel Adesanya will be given a rematch against Sean Strickland after losing his middleweight belt.

Strickland produced a major upset on Saturday night in the main event of UFC 293 by winning a unanimous decision against Adesanya. The win goes down as one of the biggest upsets in MMA history as Strickland was a huge underdog heading into the fight, as many fans and pundits thought Adesanya would beat him with ease.

Adesanya will have the chance to avenge the defeat and win back his middleweight world title as White confirmed a second fight between the pair will likely be made next. "I think you do the rematch, absolutely. The rematch is interesting, only Israel knows the answers to these questions and I'm looking forward to hearing it," he said.

What were your thoughts on Sean Strickland beating Israel Adesanya at UFC 293? Let us know in the comments section below

"How f****ng crazy is this game? What do I always say, never judge a fight until it happens. You never know what the hell is gonna happen in this bats*** nutty sport. Israel looked like he was in slow motion and he couldn't get off, he was very stiff tonight and looked slow. Some days you wake up and it's just not there, he looked bone dry tonight."

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Strickland left the cage without a mark on his face whilst Adesanya suffered a swollen eye and bloodied lip as a result of his loss. Strickland was surprised at how easy the fight ended up being and he admitted to wrestling for most of his training camp despite not attempting a single takedown against Adesanya.

Adesanya was expected to fight Dricus Du Plessis at the Sydney event but Strickland was drafted in as a last-minute opponent. Strickland was unfazed when asked about his next title challenger as he welcomed a rematch with Adesanya despite his win against the Nigerian-born Kiwi being one-sided.

"If I have learned anything about the UFC, it's since when do you have a f****ng choice about who you're fighting? The UFC never comes up here and says 'Hey Sean, would you like to fight this guy or this guy?' The UFC says, 'Hey, you're fighting this guy'. At the end of the day, I'm the champion so line them up and I'll knock them down or get knocked down," he said.

Harry Davies