Coach Eric Nicksick commends Israel Adesanya’s body of work, but says he needs “more than minor adjustments” to beat Sean Strickland in a rematch

Sean Strickland pulled off a major upset victory by defeating middleweight champion Israel Adesanya via unanimous decision at UFC 293 last weekend.

Despite being a significant underdog, Strickland grabbed Adesanya's attention in the first round with a powerful combination, causing 'The Last Stylebender' to stagger. Strickland continued to press the attack, nearly finishing the champion in towards the end of the round.

Throughout the fight, 'Tarzan' maintained his forward pressure and displayed precise boxing, disrupting Israel Adesanya's rhythm. The Nigeria-born Kiwi struggled to find his usual striking prowess and expended a lot of energy moving around the octagon. Sean Strickland ultimately emerged as the winner by unanimous decision, winning 49-46 on all three judges' scorecards.

Sean Strickland's coach, Eric Nicksick, appreciated Israel Adesanya's accomplishments but emphasized that if they were to have a rematch, Adesanya would need to make significant changes.

During a recent interview with MMA Junkie, Nicksick stated:

"I don't really care. I mean honestly, I don't care. I think from an outsider's perspective, I think Israel always deserves a rematch just from his history alone and his body of work."

He added:

"I think that kinda hearing their thoughts on, some minor adjustments and they can win a fight. I think it's more than minor adjustments. I think there's a lot more to be done but with that being said I still think Israel ranks up their No.1- No.2 best middleweights to ever do it. So if he wants to run it back, by all means I think that's a fight that needs to happen again."

Check out Nicksick's comments below:

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Dana White discusses possibility of instant rematch between Sean Strickland and Israel Adesanya

During the post-fight press conference for UFC 293, UFC president Dana White was asked about the possibility of Israel Adesanya getting a rematch with Sean Strickland.

White suggested that Adesanya's recent fights with his rival Alex Pereira may have caused him to underestimate Strickland. However, he also hinted that an immediate rematch between Adesanya and Strickland could be in the works:

"I think you do the rematch, absolutely. The rematch is interesting, only Israel knows the answers to these questions and I'm looking forward to hearing it."

Check out White's comments below (from 6:00):

Adesanya received an immediate rematch following his loss to Alex Pereira at UFC 281 last year.