New footage has arrived of Israel Adesanya following his championship loss to Sean Strickland at UFC 293. “The Last Stylebender” took this devastating defeat with great class and poise.
Adesanya was the overwhelming favorite going into the bout in Sydney, Australia, but struggled to gain momentum against a stylistically tricky opponent, eventually losing the fight by unanimous decision, 49-46, as scored by all three judges.
The first season of Roku's Fight Inc. Inside The UFC included some behind-the-scenes looks after the fight, including Adesanya being comforted by his family in the locker room.
Israel Adesanya backstage after his loss to Sean Strickland
“This is a good story. [Strickland]”I'm proud of him. But I'm going to get him. We're going to get him back.”#UFC #Mixed Martial Arts
— Championship Round (@ChampRDS) June 9, 2024
“You're still a champion,” his mother, Taiwo Adesanya, said as she embraced her son. “If you hang up your gloves today, you're secure for life. So don't worry about anything, okay?”
“This is a good story. [Strickland]”I'm proud of him,” Adesanya told his father, Oluwafemi. “But I'm going to get him. We're going to get him back, OK? I promise you.”
“It was a bad night,” Izzy head coach Eugene Bearman said while consoling his players, “We didn't find what we wanted, but we'll find it again.”
As Adesanya left the arena, cameras captured Dana White asking the former middleweight champion if he was OK, after which Adesanya sighed and asked the surrounding cameras to pause filming for a moment.
“Thank you for the opportunity,” he said to White in a photo later, “Thank you for making that fight happen. Again, it doesn't matter. Even if it was his night, it doesn't matter. It's still history. It's a good story for him, it's a good story for America. That's the reality, that's the game.”
Israel Adesanya has not fought since that fateful night in September 2023. “The Last Stylebender” has declared that he will take some time off to re-center and refocus, and although he is back in the gym training, it remains to be seen when his next fight will be.
UFC returns to Australia on August 18th with their UFC 305 show in Perth. Could that see him facing current 185lb champion Dorricus du Plessis, who defeated Sean Strickland, in early 2024? Nothing is certain, but it's reported that's when UFC plans to schedule the Israeli bout. We'll provide updates as we get closer to that date.
