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In the aftermath of Israel Adesanya's UFC title loss to Sean Strickland, the newly crowned champion revealed their in-cage conversation on a surprising topic. Meanwhile, Adesanya's former nemesis Alex Pereira reacted to the passing of the mantle.
Here are your top MMA updates presented by Sportskeeda's daily News Roundup.
#3. Sean Strickland reveals what Israel Adesanya said to him inside the cage
Israel Adesanya was seen walking over to Sean Strickland, presumably to congratulate him, right after the latter was announced to be the winner of the title fight. The two shared a moment of respect as Adesanya raised Strickland's hand in the air and acknowledged him as the new middleweight champion.
However, Adesanya may have said something in the interaction that struck as 'strange' to Strickland. When asked about the exchange at the post-fight press conference, 'Tarzan' said:
"It was strange. He was, like, talking. I think he was mad that I made fun of his dog. I'm not even joking... Izzy, I'm sorry I made fun of your dog. I'm sure he's a great fella."
A journalist informed Strickland that the pet in question had passed away, which the UFC fighter was unaware of.
Watch Strickland's comment below:
#2. Conor McGregor has a new weight class in mind for UFC return
With Sean Strickland now the new middleweight champion, Conor McGregor fancies a move all the way up to 185lbs. for his UFC return. Replying to a fan on X (formerly Twitter), the Irishman confirmed that he's eyeing to compete in middleweight.
Michael Chandler, who's most likely to be McGregor's opponent for his UFC comeback, responded that he was up for it.
"185 would be great... finally an easy cut after 22 years of hard weight cutting. #seeyousoon"
Fans did not buy into Chandler's resolve and made fun of him for promising something unrealistic.
#1. Alex Pereira weighs in on Israel Adesanya's loss
Alex Pereira posted a video on his YouTube channel addressing the title loss of his arch nemesis-turned-respectful colleague Israel Adesanya. He dismissed the notion that 'The Last Stylebender' was not at his 100 percent and demanded that Sean Strickland should be given the due credit for dismantling Adesanya's game.
"A lot of people are [saying] that Adesanya wasn't his best. Adesanya didn't fight like he usually does. Clearly, Sean came in and shut his game down. He was really smart. He was moving forward all the time with an amazing defense. Let's not forget the precise strikes, he walked less, circled more, and landed the best attacks. And well, you all saw the result."
Pereira recently sparred with Strickland, which got many fans thinking if he had a role to play in the American dethroning Israel Adesanya at UFC 293. However, 'Poatan' made it clear that he had nothing to do with it and Strickland won on his own accord.
Catch Alex Pereira's comments below:
