Israel Adesanya claims Sean Strickland "wants to fight Belal Muhammad" next, urges 'Tarzan' to accept rematch callout

Israel Adesanya recently urged Sean Strickland to accept his calls for a rematch instead of angling for a Belal Muhammad fight. Adesanya even joked about Strickland beating him in their last encounter and stated that it was "easy money" for the American.

Strickland and Adesanya threw down in a middleweight title fight at UFC 293 in September 2023, where 'Tarzan' surprisingly beat the Nigerian-born Kiwi via unanimous decision after a dominant performance.

In the aftermath, Adesanya made it clear that he wants to settle things with Strickland in a rematch. However, it appears 'Tarzan' is aiming for a grudge match with Muhammad instead. Strickland and Muhammad have traded shots online on multiple occasions and have made it clear they have no love for each other.

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During a conversation with Alexander Volkanovski on his YouTube channel, Adesanya renewed his callout and said:

"I’ve called this dude out how many times, but now he wants to fight Belal. Why? I mean, it's easy money. Come on, it’s easy money. You beat me once, do it again. Come on... I just wanna make sure I did this right. I just want to do this one time, just one more time. You beat me? Cool. If he wants to do a third one, we'll see."

Israel Adesanya explains deeper reason behind seeking Sean Strickland rematch

Earlier this year, Israel Adesanya explained why he wanted to settle things with Sean Strickland and recalled being a victim of bullying during his childhood days. Adesanya claimed Strickland was the "embodiment" of a bully in a sense, and that's why he wanted to redeem his loss.

In a YouTube video, Adesanya acknowledged that Strickland dominated him in their first fight and said:

''I sparred with Kamaru Usman for the first time in months... So for me now, I'm like, Ok, I told Hunter [Campbell] already, I told coach, that it's time. I just knew, and I know who. I have a feeling who I want to fight. You'll like this one. I gotta get some get back. Strickland. I'm gonna get him back."

He continued:

''Because he beat me... whooped my a*s badly... Everything he's done since that – because, I used to get bullied a lot as a kid. So, he's an embodiment of that in a sense. He attacked the young me, the inner child. So, I just want to protect him and get some get-back for him."

Catch Israel Adesanya's comments below (8:05):

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Edited by Nishant Zende.