In a surprising turn of events, Israel Adesanya lost his middleweight title to Sean Strickland in the UFC 293 headliner held at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney. While the mixed martial arts world is still buzzing about the upset, former UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping has weighed in on the fight, offering his perspective on Adesanya’s demeanor during the bout.
Bisping, now an analyst for TNT Sports’ Fight Week, didn’t hold back in his assessment of Adesanya’s attitude, believing it played a significant role in his loss. He pointed out that even when Adesanya was dropped in the first round and was perilously close to being finished, the former champion appeared dismissive of the situation.
The British fighter expressed his criticism, stating, “There was certainly an air of arrogance in the corner of Israel Adesanya and from Izzy himself. Even when he was dropped in the first round and very, very close to being finished, he had kind of a smug look on his face like, ‘God bless this guy, he landed a shot. Overhand? OK, no worries.’ No concern, no look of stress, no worry, no realization that he’s in there with a real threat.”
Bisping also dissected Adesanya’s fighting style, particularly his reliance on counters and fighting off his back foot. He argued that Adesanya’s defensive approach didn’t serve him well in this match, as Strickland almost secured the victory in the first round due to Adesanya continually moving backward.
“The reason he almost got the finish in Round 1 was because Izzy was moving backward, and Izzy relies on a lot of fast footwork,” Bisping explained. “When you’ve backed up all the way to the fence, there’s no further to move back and you can’t even lean back as far, and that was his own demise.”
Bisping believes that a more aggressive approach and forward pressure could have made a difference for Adesanya. He stated, “You don’t win fights by backing up. Granted, we have seen masterclasses… But you’ve got to have some forward pressure, as well, and dancing away all night, backfooting and backtracking, and not throwing very much is no surprise. That is not the recipe to win a fight.”
While UFC president Dana White has suggested an immediate rematch between Adesanya and Strickland, Bisping has a different perspective. He believes the middleweight division should move forward and mentioned potential challengers like Dricus Du Plessis, Robert Whittaker, and Khamzat Chimaev.
In closing, Bisping acknowledged Sean Strickland’s exceptional performance and congratulated him on the victory. However, he also raised questions about Adesanya’s hectic schedule, suggesting that it may have contributed to his defeat. In Bisping’s view, this loss could signal the beginning of a new era in the middleweight division, allowing Adesanya to take a well-deserved break and the division to welcome fresh talent.
