"Worst thing he did was bring up my dead homie" - Israel Adesanya admits Sean Strickland 'went deep' at presser, vows 'John Wick'-like revenge

Israel Adesanya will be out for revenge against Sean Strickland at UFC 293 this weekend.

The pair have exchanged words both online and in person, and it appeared that a particular jibe made by 'Tarzan' did not sit well with 'The Last Stylebender'. Strickland is known as a particularly controversial character in MMA, having made many shocking statements throughout his career.

But Strickland's comments about Israel Adesanya's relationship with his late-dog, Millionaire, haved irked the middleweight champion.

According to 'The Last Stylebender', he will be channeling his inner John Wick in the UFC 293 main event, making reference to Wick's dog being murdered which set him on a path of destruction.

During an interview with MMA analyst John Gooden at the official weigh-ins, Israel Adesanya said this:

"I could have stooped to his level. I could have gone low, I could have gone limbo, could have gone deep on the whole neo-Nazi stuff. Him killing a dog, all this kind of stuff. But there's no point... All that matters is the fight. He knows he's out-gunned and outmanned on this one. So he's gonna try and stoop low, and he went deep. And the worst thing he did was bring up my dead homie, and I'm gonna go John Wick on this man."

Watch the video below:

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Israel Adesanya seeks an emphatic finish against Sean Strickland at UFC 293

Israel Adesanya will be hoping for back-to-back highlight reel finishes, as he is set to take on Sean Strickland at UFC 293 this weekend.

'The Last Stylebender' will be making the first defense of his second reign as champion, after he reclaimed the title from Alex Pereira with a stunning second-round KO at UFC 287.

Adesanya will be hoping to emulate his finish against 'Poatan' with another memorable knockout this weekend.

Israel Adesanya also feels the burden of responsibiltiy to "close the show" in style, as five of his City Kickboxing teammates will also be appearing on UFC 293. The middleweight champion was captured saying the following during a recent training vlog uploaded to FREESTYLEBENDER on YouTube:

"What we're working on as well, it's definitely raised the bar. The motivation is just taking his head. It's another guy to style against. Being in Sydney, six of us on the card, half the card is [City Kickboxing], so I have to close the show spectacularly."

Watch the video below from 2:50: