“It just felt like noodle arms” - Israel Adesanya explains why he couldn’t execute his gameplan at UFC 293

Israel Adesanya has opened up about his shocking loss to Sean Strickland.

On September 9, most people expected Adesanya to emerge victorious in the UFC 293 main event and retain his middleweight title. Yet, Eric Nicksick’s coaching combined with Strickland’s gameplan and created one of the biggest upsets in MMA history.

Shortly after the fight ended, Adesanya made a short appearance at the post-fight press conference before leaving. Since then, the MMA world has eagerly waited to hear the former middleweight king's reaction.

The time has come as Adesanya discussed the historic loss in a video on his YouTube channel. At one point in his breakdown, ‘The Last Stylebender’ explained his experience by saying:

“Like a bad dream. One of those where you, not even a nightmare. A nightmare is like, ‘Oh sh*t. F*ck.’ A nightmare, you’re scared. I was just like, you try to hit the guy, and it just felt like noodle arms. Like, ‘What the f*ck.’ It just felt like a bad dream.” - Quotes provided by MMA Junkie

In March 2021, Israel Adesanya attempted to become a two-division UFC champion by taking on Jan Blachowicz in the UFC 259 main event, which he lost by unanimous decision. Following his return to middleweight, he’s won four of six fights, including losses against Strickland and Alex Pereira.

During that six-fight stretch, he secured title bout wins against Marvin Vettori, Robert Whittaker, Jared Cannonier, and Alex Pereira.

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Israel Adesanya credits Eric Nicksick for helping Sean Strickland make in-fight adjustments

Sean Strickland has rightfully received a massive amount of respect for his UFC 293 performance. With that said, the head coach of Xtreme Couture, Eric Nicksick, has also been praised for his contribution to the upset win.

During the same reaction video posted on YouTube, Israel Adesanya gave Nicksick his flowers by saying:

“I just wasn’t able to get my rhythm because of his pressure. He was right there constantly. Whenever I was setting him up, because he was right there, his coach would help him out, and I would be like, ‘F*ck.’ Good game plan from them, but also for me, I wasn’t able to adjust on the fly.” - Quotes provided by MMA Junkie

There has been an ongoing debate on whether or not Israel Adesanya deserves an immediate rematch against Sean Strickland. On one side, Adesanya was the face of the division for a long time. On the contrary, Strickland won the UFC 293 main event decisively.

Therefore, it’s only a matter of time until the UFC decides who will be featured in the next middleweight title fight.