In the Clinch: All Eyes On Underdog Strickland, UFC 293 – You have to tip your hat to Sean Strickland. He played the role and talked his way into a UFC 293 middleweight title shot against Israel Adesanya. But can he execute under the brightest of lights against one of the most dominant champions on the roster?
From the outside, the No. 5 Strickland (27-5-0), 32, doesn’t seem fazed at all. The cheque and the crowds are bigger, and he’s simply going to do his thing in Sydney, in spite of the striking prowess of Adesanya (24-2-0), 34.
Just like Sean O’Malley did at UFC 292.
Strickland comes in as the underdog against a champion with seven title defences, the last one a resounding knockout of rival Alex Pereira at UFC 287 in April. “Stylebender” seems to be in a groove. While he is his usual confident self, he is being careful to not underestimate Strickland in the press.
I’m sure Adesanya remembers previous middleweight champions beating themselves by underestimating their opponents. Anderson Silva and Luke Rockhold immediately come to mind. If he loses in front of his home crowd, Strickland will likely have to earn it.
And so I do think there is a pressure on Strickland to at least justify his title shot by at least putting on a competitive performance. Anything less and it could be a long time before he gets another shot.
Sean Strickland punching a fan in the stomach? Whether it was a joke or for real, it’s a way to release some of that pressure that he is under. He has to outstrike the striker or somehow get him down to the ground. I wonder if he is playing Street Fighter or Mortal Kombat in his hotel room too.
The advantage goes to Adesanya, but underdogs continue to cash in as of late in the UFC.
It’s time for Sean Strickland to ante up.
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