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In a recent interview, the ever-opinionated Sean Strickland picked out the most deserving contender to contest for the middleweight throne if Israel Adesanya loses to Alex Pereira in a potential rematch.
The most recent chapter in the Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira rivalry, which has spread across two sports, culminated at UFC 281 last month. 'Poatan' extended his record to 3-0 against Adesanya with a late TKO victory in the last round.
'The Last Stylebender' intends on leveraging his three-year-long reign as the 185-pound champion for an immediate rematch. Even UFC President Dana White claimed at the post-fight media scrum that he wouldn't rule out the idea considering Adesanya's dominant run.
Speaking in a recent interview with MMA Junkie, top-ranked contender Sean Strickland shared his thoughts on who he thinks deserves the next title shot should Adesanya lose a potential rematch. The American named former 185-pound UFC titleholder Robert Whittaker as the qualified candidate:
"I think [Robert] Whittaker deserves the shot."
Strickland also claims that the UFC will probably book a rematch first considering that Whittaker is a bad matchup for Alex Pereira:
"They would probably want Izzy to fight because Whittaker will probably just take him down and grind him out for f**king five rounds. So they're thinking let's milk this cash cow one more time with Izzy."
Check out the full interview below:
Sean Strickland claims that Israel Adesanya fights like a b**ch
At UFC 276, which took place in July this year, Israel Adesanya successfully defended his undisputed UFC middleweight title for the fifth time in a row by earning a unanimous decision victory over Jared Cannonier.
The fight, however, was criticized by both fighters and fans for its lack of action and excitement. Even 'The Last Stylebender' acknowledged that he could have done more in the immediate aftermath of the fight.
No.7-ranked UFC middleweight contender Sean Strickland has heckled Adesanya several times in the past for his love of anime and his overall appearance.
In the aforementioned interview, 'Tarzan' recently claimed that while he considers Adesanya a skilled competitor, he also believes that 'The Last Stylebender' fights like a "b**ch":
"Izzy fights like a f**king b**ch dude. Izzy can fight and he's f**king good, he's long, he's a giant... but he fights like a b**ch. Nobody wants to see guys like that."
Meanwhile, Strickland will square off against Jared Cannonier in the main event of UFC Fight Night on December 18.
