Sean Strickland defeated Israel Adesanya to claim the UFC middleweight championship at UFC 293, with Adesanya’s coach Eugene Bareman admitting Adesanya had an off night but asserting that with minor adjustments, he believes they could win a rematch.
At UFC 293, professional fighter Sean Strickland emerged victorious. However, Israel Adesanya’s coach, Eugene Bareman, doesn’t agree with the result and believes that if the two fighters were to face off again, the result may differ. This was delivered during a press conference following the main event in Sydney, Australia, where Strickland triumphed over “The Last Stylebender,” Adesanya, to become the UFC middleweight champion.
Strickland’s performance was stellar; he hit Adesanya early into their match and ultimately controlled large parts of it. Hence, it didn’t come as a surprise when Strickland was declared the winner. What’s noteworthy, however, is the stark contrast of this result compared to how most media outlets perceived Strickland before the fight – as the underdog of the century. Yet, while many are inclined to think that Adesanya was not at his best that night, Bareman commends Strickland’s ability for his victory over the two-time champion.
“It’s evident that Sean is a great fighter,” Bareman commented. “I never doubted that he was capable of defeating Israel but I held on to the idea that if Israel was at his best, the match would be considerably challenging for Sean.” He went on to acknowledge that they unfortunately exist in an ‘alternate universe’ where Adesanya did not perform optimally, which led to Strickland’s win. Despite this, Bareman was pleased with how the training camp had unfolded, stating that there were no excuses to be made about the fight. He believed that Adesanya just had an ‘off’ night.
Interestingly, Adesanya has lost the UFC middleweight title twice in 10 months. During UFC 281 in November, he was defeated by former kickboxing rival Alex Pereira. After five successful title defenses, Adesanya regained his title in a rematch against Pereira at UFC 287 five months after his defeat. With the current state of play, it remains uncertain whether Adesanya stands a chance to recapture his title in another rematch. However, Bareman is confident about Adesanya’s potential for victory in a rematch against Strickland. Despite the unidentified future plans for Adesanya, his coach and the rest of his team stand ready for any call to action from UFC. According to Bareman, they are even now in talks with matchmaker Mick Maynard regarding setting up another match with Strickland.