Dana White: "What did Dana say about Imavov," "Bro should’ve listened" - Fans react as Israel Adesanya reveals Dana White's warning about Sean Strickland fight

MMA fans have been reacting to Israel Adesanya's latest comments, which saw the former middleweight champion reveal that Dana White had initially told him not to fight Sean Strickland at UFC 293.

Back in 2023, 'The Last Stylebender' was riding high after he had finally conquered his boogeyman. After suffering a shocking TKO loss at the hands of Alex Pereira the year prior, Adesanya returned to the top when he knocked out 'Poatan' in their rematch, knocking him out cold in the second round to win back his title.

Just under six months later, Adesanya was then tasked with facing Sean Strickland. Whilst many had expected a routine win for the Nigerian-New Zealander, what transpired next was one of the biggest upsets in MMA history as 'Tarzan' dominated the champ on the feet, dropping him early in the fight as he cruised to a unanimous 4-1 victory on all three judges' scorecards to win the title.

Now, nearly two years on from his defeat to Strickland, Israel Adesanya has revealed the UFC CEO had told him not to take the fight. Speaking in a recent episode of his Young Man Ramble podcast, Adesanya said:

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“Dana was like ‘Listen kid, you got enough money. Just chill out...I was like ‘nah’… in hindsight maybe Dana was right.”

Check out Adesanya's comments below:

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Fans have since been reacting to Adesanya's comments, with many opting to poke fun at the former champ for not listening to Dana White. One fan wrote:

"What did Dana say about Imavov💀"

Another fan wrote:

"Bro should’ve listened 😭"

One fan said:

"Lol Dana wanted to keep his cash cow alive"

Another added:

"Strickland was a bad match up for him"

Check out more reactions below:

Israel Adesanya opens up on potentially training with Jon Jones

Israel Adesanya has revealed he hopes to train with Jon Jones for his next fight camp, with the aim that the heavyweight champion can offer him some insight that will help him bounce back.

'The Last Stylebender' is currently on a three-fight skid, having lost to Sean Strickland, Dricus du Plessis and Nassourdine Imavov. Whilst he doesn't yet have a fight locked in, recent rumors have suggested the Nigerian-New Zealander could be set for a rematch against 'Tarzan' later this year.

Speaking about his potential next fight on the Pound 4 Pound podcast, Adesanya revealed that when he does start training, he hopes he'll be able to work with Jones. He said:

"Definitely. It’s on the list. It’s on the list. With Jon [Jones], bruh, I know I can learn a lot. Long guy, his frames. I’ve watched him since UFC 92. The way he moves, I can pick his brain on some stuff. So definitely it’ll happen, but time"

Catch Israel Adesanya's comments below:

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About the author

Will began his tenure at Sportskeeda as an MMA writer over 2 years ago and has penned over 1800 pieces so far, including 35+ exclusives, which have garnered close to 5 million views.

Will graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Media and Communications from Bournemouth University, where he was also a valued member of their communications team. His degree heavily focused on social media and writing, which eventually led him toward sports writing.

He turned into an MMA fan after witnessing Conor McGregor’s 13-second TKO win over Jose Aldo at UFC 194 in 2015. The Irishman sits at the top of his list of top-five MMA fighters of all time, which also includes world champions like Demetrious Johnson, Michael Bisping, Max Holloway, and Georges St-Pierre.

Will especially enjoys working on event days and feels his contribution to Sportskeeda’s UFC 300 coverage was one of the high points of his time with the organization. He ensures his articles are accurate by going through multiple sources, which also helps his writing be as informative as possible.

His interests away from work include football, gaming, live streaming, and listening to music.

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Edited by Tejas Rathi