‘This Dumbass in the Back of the Class Just Disrupting’- Israel Adesanya Lays Into Rival Sean Strickland for ‘Not Focusing’ on Alex Pereira at UFC 276
UFC middleweight Sean Strickland may have stolen the show at the press conference for UFC 276, jabbing out insults at champion Israel Adesanya and likely getting under the champ’s skin. However, ‘Izzy’ had the last laugh.
Speaking out on his YouTube channel, Israel Adesanya blasted Strickland for not focusing on his opponent in front of him and instead jockeying for a fight against ‘The Last Stylebender’. Strickland was brutally knocked out in the fight by Alex Pereira and lost his number 4 ranking in the middleweight division.
“He should’ve listened to me,” Adesanya said in an interview on his YouTube channel. “He should’ve listened to me when I told him, ‘Just focus on the guy you have in front of you, not me.’ He was trying to be like that idiot in the back of the class.”
“I hated having to address that idiot. Like, I’m trying to f*cking work and the guy I’m focused on is next to me or down the line and this idiot, this dumbass in the back of the class just disrupting.”
https://twitter.com/futurefightsnew/status/1543493105160257537?s=20&t=ypezRfFlco2VVAWYatLg4Q
Adesanya was clear in his belief that had Strickland stayed the course and focused on dismantling Alex ‘Poatan’ Pereira, he would be the one fighting for gold next. Instead, Pereira is now slamming on the door of title contention with just three fights in the UFC.
“I was like, ‘Yo, it’s not me you need to worry about. Focus on this guy. He thought he had the opportunity, and I’m like, ‘OK, bet.’ If he actually did what he had to do, me and him would be fighting next.” [h/t mmajunkie.com]
Alex Pereira’s shared history with Israel Adesanya is a major reason for his quick ascent up the ranks of the UFC. However, it’s hard to deny that he hasn’t looked spectacular in his UFC fights thus far and his power is monstrous for the middleweight division.
If Pereira is able to go 3-0 against Israel Adesanya and pick up a UFC belt in a short time span, he’ll go down as one of the fastest rising stars in the sport.
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