MMA star Israel Adesanya recently directed attention towards Sean Strickland, expressing concerns about his mental well-being.
Adesanya’s documentary ‘Stylebender’ was released in 2023. Much of it is centered on his discussions with his therapist and the psychological side of the combat game. Similarly, Strickland has also disclosed on social media that he has been experiencing mental health issues lately.
During an appearance on The MMA Hour hosted by Ariel Helwani, Adesanya didn’t shy away from addressing Strickland’s recent behavior. He notably talked about Stricklan’s intense sparring session with Sneako. The incident garnered widespread criticism as Strickland’s aggression resulted in Sneako sustaining a bleeding nose.
Reflecting on this, Adesanya remarked: “Even someone like Sean could benefit from it (his movie) coz I saw the clip of him in his car…Even when he beat up Sneako, that’s not a healthy person.”
Sean Strickland discussed his mental health in a series of tweets and videos that he released on X. The former Middleweight Champion of the UFC continued by saying that even though he had accomplished everything in life, he was far from being in optimal mental health.
Israel Adesanya felt the same emotions after winning the title, so he could identify with Sean Strickland. Adesanya suggested that Strickland continue with his treatment since it enabled him to address his problems successfully. Furthermore, he said that Strickland shown progress by at least discussing his mental health on social media.
However, the compliments were short-lived as Adesanya soon began to criticize Strickland for the amount of money he was receiving.
Adesanya also mocked Strickland’s brief championship reign and subsequent loss to Dricus Du Plessis. He highlighted Strickland’s reported $200,000 offer for a potential matchup against Paulo Costa.
He said: “Strickland, he f*cking got offered apparently 200k to fight Costa after being the champ. But again, what a reign, amazing.”
As a former champion himself, Adesanya deemed the offer insufficient. Adesanya believes that the compensation is too low for a former champion.
Since he feels he won the first bout, Strickland also wants to face Dricus Du Plessis again. But Du Plessis is now fixated on competing against Adesanya.
With both contenders expressing readiness, fans eagerly await Dana White’s confirmation. They anticipate a compelling showdown between Adesanya and Du Plessis.