Israel Adesanya: Sean Strickland keeps rivalry aside and shows respect to Israel Adesanya after TKO loss to Nassourdine Imavov: "You’re a lasting name in the sport"

Sean Strickland keeps rivalry aside and shows respect to Israel Adesanya after TKO loss to Nassourdine Imavov: "You’re a lasting name in the sport"

By Giancarlo Aulino

Modified Feb 04, 2025 20:52 GMT

Sean Strickland praises Israel Adesanya following loss to Nassourdine Imavov [Image courtesy: Getty Images]

Sean Strickland recently set aside his rivalry with Israel Adesanya and showed him a great deal of respect after his TKO loss to Nassourdine Imavov. His former rival came up short last Saturday at UFC Saudi Arabia resulting in his losing skid extending to three consecutive fights.

'Tarzan' and 'Izzy's rivalry dates back to 2023, when the American stepped in on relatively short notice to challenge him for his middleweight championship. Strickland pulled off a massive upset as he dropped Adesanya during the bout and went on to earn a unanimous decision win to become the new middleweight champion.

While speaking to FOX Sports Australia ahead of his middleweight title fight against Dricus du Plessis, 'Tarzan' shared his thoughts on 'Izzy's loss to Imavov and heaped praise on the impact he has had. Strickland mentioned that Adesanya has nothing more to prove and noted that he has already cemented his legacy:

"At the end of the day, dude, [Adesanya] made his legacy...Like, if you want to continue to fight, continue to fight. But, you've done what you've wanted done. You know, you don't really got to prove anything, man. You're a lasting name in the sport. Like, you've chiseled your name in it. No shame, you get older, it happens." [7:10]

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Check out the full episode featuring Sean Strickland's comments regarding Israel Adesanya below:

Sean Strickland reacts to Dricus du Plessis claiming he has improved more since their last fight

In addition to heaping praise on his former rival Israel Adesanya, Sean Strickland reacted to Dricus du Plessis' claims that he improved more since their previous encounter.

During the aforementioned appearance, Strickland mentioned that he disagreed with du Plessis and made comparisons to their respective title fights against Adesanya:

"I mean, I don't know about that, dude. [du Plessis] fought 'Izzy' and 'Izzy' was beating you in striking. I dog walked 'Izzy'...I meant that in a striking sense, so I don't know about that, man. Maybe he might wrestle a little bit more, cut a little bit better...You took [Adesanya] down. Again, you took the coward's way out." [3:33]

Check out the official UFC 312 promo featuring Sean Strickland below:

About the author

Giancarlo Aulino is an MMA news writer and interviewer at Sportskeeda. Having been onboard since 2021, Aulino has written list articles, before transitioning to MMA news writing.

In addition to writing at Sportskeeda, Aulino can be heard on VIBE 105.5FM in Toronto, Canada, where he conducts interviews called 'VIBEtalks.' Aulino's segments have featured many respected athletes, broadcasters, and celebrities. In 2024, Aulino, along with his VIBE 105 Sports team members, rebranded their content to The Game Plan 'TGP'.

In addition to MMA, Aulino was previously a pro wrestling writer and soccer (Football) reporter and covered Toronto FC (Major League Soccer) and York United FC (Canadian Premier League).

Follow him on Twitter: @Gian_411

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Edited by Gerard Crispin