In the world of MMA, where rivalries often ignite fierce competition, the bond between fighters from Australia and New Zealand remains unbreakable. Alexander Volkanovski, known as “The Great,” stands firmly in support of his teammate Israel Adesanya, also known as “The Last Stylebender,” as Adesanya gears up to defend his UFC middleweight title against Sean Strickland at UFC 293, scheduled for September 9th.
Volkanovski not only predicts victory for Adesanya but also anticipates a decisive victory over Strickland. On his YouTube channel, Volkanovski shared his thoughts, saying, “Obviously Sean is gonna talk, Sean is gonna try and get under his skin. So that’s gonna make it fun. But I feel Izzy is going to really, really put it on him. Especially with the talk that’s gonna happen. I think Sean Strickland is gonna definitely pay for some of the things he’s gonna say. Stylistically, I feel like he’s definitely gonna get hurt.”
Strickland has faced challenges in stylistic match-ups before, most notably suffering a devastating loss to Alex Pereira. Adesanya, with his exceptional skills, is considered on par with Strickland, if not superior, except in terms of one-punch knockout power. Although Adesanya doesn’t exhibit glaring weaknesses in his game, there is a perception that exploiting his ground game might be a viable strategy. Unfortunately for Strickland, he appears to lack faith in his jiu-jitsu skills.
Despite the potential for a one-sided contest, Volkanovski expresses his delight in having a regional champion like Adesanya headlining the latest pay-per-view event in Australia. He acknowledges the hurdles faced in making this fight happen, particularly with Dricus Du Plessis unable to compete and Strickland stepping in as a replacement. Volkanovski emphasizes the significance of having champions like himself and Adesanya defend their titles on home turf, stating, “I’m very glad that he was able to get that over the line. I think it’s a great fight for [Adesanya].”
As the fight between Israel Adesanya and Sean Strickland approaches, the anticipation and excitement within the Australian and New Zealand MMA communities continue to grow, solidifying the strong bonds that unite fighters from these neighboring nations.
