'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Israel Adesanya will take on Sean Strickland this Saturday at UFC 293. The pair will compete for the promotion's middleweight championship, which 'The Last Stylebender' reclaimed in a recent grudge match with longtime combat sports rival Alex Pereira.
While many expect Adesanya to best Strickland, fans are anticipating an explosive pre-fight press conference given 'Tarzan's' penchant for outlandish trash talk and the videos of Adesanya and his deceased pet dog that have been making the rounds.
With UFC 293 just days away, the controversial clips have resurfaced, with popular YouTubers like THE MMA GURU covering the matter in several videos, one of which Strickland reacted to.
Trending
Even Dricus du Plessis, who's been at loggerheads with the champion, reacted to the footage on Instagram.
One of the clips shows the reigning middleweight kingpin cuddling his dog on a couch before lowering his hand and fondling its genitals in a move that led to widespread condemnation from the MMA community.
With the pre-fight press conference scheduled for sometime today, fans can expect Sean Strickland to bring up the videos, in addition to all of the trash talk he has already aimed at Adesanya for claiming to be Chinese in a commercial he filmed in the past.
Regardless of his efforts to unnerve Adesanya, Strickland is not expected to win at UFC 293, barring a Michael Bisping-like miracle. 'The Count' dethroned Luke Rockhold as the middleweight champion at UFC 199 in 2016.
Is Sean Strickland on a win streak as he faces Israel Adesanya?
The latest challenger to Israel Adesanya's UFC middleweight title reign isn't the most threatening opponent to 'The Last Stylebender', at least on paper. Sean Strickland doesn't possess earth-shattering knockout power, nor is he an elite-level kickboxer like Alex Pereira.
Furthermore, his wrestling and grappling skills are not regarded enough for him to trouble Israel Adesanya. However, his tenacious fighting style has allowed him to build a respectable win streak ahead of his title fight, with two consecutive victories since his controversial loss to Jared Cannonier last December.
