"UFC don't want him embarrassing the company" - Israel Adesanya reveals how it took 'convincing' to book Sean Strickland fight

Israel Adesanya is set to defend his middleweight championship against No.5-ranked middleweight contender Sean Strickland. Strickland has never fought for the title in his time at the UFC, which has spanned nearly nine years.

The two middleweights will square off at UFC 293 on September 9 at the Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia.

Adesanya revealed that it took a lot of effort on his part to ensure that the UFC booked the fight against Strickland.

He was recently joined by his longtime head coach and City Kickboxing founder Eugene Bareman in addressing a contingent of the media from New Zealand. Israel Adesanya responded to a question about what it took to push for the Strickland fight:

“A lot [of convincing], a lot. Like I said, he’s an idiot, and the UFC don’t want him embarrassing the company. That’s all I’ll say about that, but he should thank me. He should really thank me for actually making him get the fight. I pushed for it and I’m glad the UFC trusted me and listened to me.”

Bareman echoed Adesanya's thoughts but stated that their priority was fighting at UFC 293 regardless of the opponent.

Check out their comments below [2:35]:

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Israel Adesanya warns Sean Strickland against trash talk, predicts a finish

Israel Adesanya and Sean Strickland look set for an intense build-up to their UFC 293 matchup.

Strickland's skills on the mic and his trash-talking abilities have been on full display, with him hurling various digs at the middleweight champion. Adesanya addressed them on his YouTube channel and referenced the time when the two went at it during the press conference ahead of UFC 276.

'The Last Stylebender' said:

“Just some loudmouth talking over and louder than you to try and seem like he’s got something to say. He has nothing to say really, he just wants to – I know the guy. I’ve seen him. I’ve pressed him before. It’s for show, so I just know what it is. That’s why most people are excited about the press conference because that’s his spot to shine, I guess. But I can rap, too."

Israel Adesanya then predicted a finish in the UFC 293 main event:

"If he’s talking to me, he’s going to get his jaw broken because when you’re talking, you’re not focused on the task at hand. Look at [Paulo] Costa. I’m going to knock him out. One plus one is two: I’m going to knock him out.”

Check out Adesanya's full comments on YouTube [9:41]: