Exclusive: CKB teammate 'Blood Diamond' wants Israel Adesanya to 'punish' Sean Strickland for a 'long time'

Israel Adesanya will headline UFC 293 when he faces Sean Strickland in his first title defense since reclaiming his UFC middleweight title from Alex Pereira in the pair's grudge match at UFC 287. However, he won't be carrying UFC 293 on his back alone and will have the help of his fellow City Kickboxing members.

Among these teammates is Mike Mathetha, better known as 'Blood Diamond' by MMA fans. Mathetha, like Adesanya, is an African fighter, although he hails from Zimbabwe instead of Nigeria. Furthermore, both men are also kickboxers headlining parts of the event, with Mathetha headlining the early prelims.

It is no surprise then, that 'Blood Diamond' is hoping for an Israel Adesanya win. However, during an interview with Sportskeeda MMA's Andrew Whitelaw, Mike Mathetha expressed his desire (at 7:16 minutes) to see more than just a win. He wants to see Sean Strickland punished by his teammate inside the octagon:

"Me personally, I'm a big fan of punishing people for a long time, you know? If he knocks him out, he knocks him out, you know? It is what it is. To be honest, Israel's been sharp and scary this camp, man. You know how he fights when someone gets under his skin."

'Blood Diamond,' it seems, was referring to Israel Adesanya's past performance against Paulo Costa, who famously needled at 'The Last Stylebender' to no end, culminating in what is still, arguably, Adesanya's finest-ever performance inside the octagon.

While Israel Adesanya faces Sean Strickland in the main event, Mike Mathetha will be in search of his first UFC win as he locks horns with promotional debutant Charlie Radtke, who is also aiming for his first win under the Zuffa banner.

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How many fighters has Israel Adesanya feuded with?

As an admittedly hyper-sensitive fighter, Israel Adesanya is not tough to bother. He responds aggressively and emotionally to any slight, real or perceived, and it has led to him feuding with several of his UFC opponents for one reason or another, though he has often been a victim of provocation.

Marvin Vettori and 'The Last Stylebender' had a heated dynamic due to the middleweight champion dismissing the Italian as a high-level fighter and claiming that he'd never see him again after the pair's first bout. Meanwhile, Derek Brunson repeatedly taunted the former kickboxer for being skinny.

This was also repeated by Paulo Costa, who trash-talked him incessantly. However, the likes of Robert Whittaker merely shared a harmless meme, but it was enough to send Adesanya over the edge.

Watch the LIVE coverage of UFC 293: Israel Adesenya vs. Sean Strickland on 10th September 2023 on Sports Ten 1 (English), Sony Sports Ten 3 (Hindi) & Sony Sports Ten 4 (Tamil & Telugu) channels 7.30 am IST onwards.

Catch our experts Somesh Kamra & Arjun Chipalkatti on the Ultimate Guide to UFC 293 which kicks off with the live Pre-Show at 6.30 am IST & live post-show at 11.30 am IST on Sports Ten 1, Sony Sports Ten 3 & Sony Sports Ten 4 channels.