Sean Strickland has had a peculiar career trajectory but seems to be failing up as of late. Strickland was rumored to be getting a title shot on the wings of Dricus Du Plessis citing foot injury as a reason he can’t make September UFC date to face Adesanya for the middleweight title.
But as September nears, the event is not official and now Strickland’s come out on twitter and confirmed the promotion isn’t interested after all.
Nevertheless, Strickland has now implied that the UFC isn’t interested in booking the matchup. Responding to a fan’s tweet, Strickland stated, “UFC don’t want it.. sorry man.”
Furthermore, Strickland criticized the UFC for not having a headline six weeks out from the event. He offered himself as a replacement but received no response from the organization. In a jesting manner, he proposed a parking lot event for the Australian fans, suggesting a scrap with Adesanya outside of the official card.
Meanwhile Adesanya is busy scouting his two former opponents facing off in the light heavyweight division- Jan Blachowicz and Alex Pereira.
“If Jan does what I think he’s going to do, he’s going to get caught with the left hook. I don’t want to say it. It’s like I’m protecting Alex or something.”
“I don’t think it goes the distance. If it does Jan wins. I just think Alex hits harder. It’s the technique he throws with. If Jan gets him down, he’s just going to control him there for three rounds. Official pick – I’m going to go with Alex by knockout.”
As of now, it remains uncertain whether Adesanya will defend his UFC middleweight title against Strickland or another opponent. Adesanya reclaimed the title by defeating Alex Pereira via second-round KO in April 2023. He then turned his attention to Dricus du Plessis, calling for a clash between himself and Strickland after Du Plessis reportedly withdrew from UFC 293.
While fans eagerly await the official announcement for Adesanya’s next opponent, Strickland continues to express his desire for the high-profile title shot.