'He’s seen everything' - Israel Adesanya’s coach explains why he is so confident ahead of potential Sean Strickland rematch

Israel Adesanya (left) and Sean Strickland (right) [Images Courtesy:@GettyImages]
Israel Adesanya (left) and Sean Strickland (right) [Images Courtesy:@GettyImages]

Israel Adesanya's defeat to Sean Strickland in the main event of UFC 293 earlier this month came as a shock to the entire MMA community.

Few people gave 'Tarzan' a chance of upsetting Adesanya, and 'The Last Stylebender' entered the octagon a -650 favorite.

The fight was an even contest for most of Round 1, but with less than a minute left Sean Strickland landed a massive right hand that dropped Israel Adesanya for the first time in his UFC career.

Strickland took over the fight from that point, and won a unanimous decision 49-46 on all three judges' scorecards.

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Israel Adesanya's coach, Eugene Bareman, made some suprising comments in the aftermath of the fight. He said his team would need only a week to prepare for the rematch and that it could happen right away.

Following several weeks of reflection about Israel Adesanya vs. Sean Strickland, Bareman was interviewed by Combat TV. He listed the reasons he believes 'The Last Stylebender' will defeat Strickland in a potential rematch, saying this:

"This is not a normal athlete, this is a unique athlete. I'm not talking about his physical and mental capabilites. I'm talking about over 100 fights at the highest level. No one else has these sorts of athletes. Because no one else has done the extensive work outside of [MMA] to gain this type of high level experience."

Bareman continued:

"Every type of gameplan we've imposed on him, every adjustment, every look he's had in front of him. Sean brought something unique, which was his awkwardness... we have to do a better job at dealing with the style he defends in... But, Israel's seen everything, not every athlete that gets to the UFC does... None of them have 100 fights at the highest level."

Watch the video below from 23:10:

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Israel Adesanya explains what was going through his mind when Sean Strickland dropped him

Israel Adesanya's defeat to Sean Strickland is one of the biggest upsets in a UFC title fight in recent memory.

'Tarzan' dominated Adesanya in a fashion that none before him had done, and became the first man to drop 'The Last Stylebender' in the octagon, on his way to a unanimous decision win.

The former two-time middleweight champion has now shared what he was thinking when Sean Strickland connected with a huge right hand in Round 1 at UFC 293. Israel Adesanya said this:

"My [reaction] was like, this n**ga just dropped me. And I started laughing a little bit, and at one point I looked at Marc Goddard - you can find the clip and frame it - I was just like, 'I'm okay'. Right afterwards, we disengage, and I feel like I'm clear"

Watch the video below from 5:15:

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