Sean Strickland, after defeating Abus Magomedov and Nassourdine Imavov in his recent fights, has expressed his readiness and desire to take on reigning UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya for a shot at the UFC title.
Sean Strickland is eager for his chance at the UFC gold following his triumph over Abus Magomedov in the main event of UFC Vegas 76‘s. His focus is now solely on the UFC middleweight title picture where Israel Adesanya, the reigning champion, is currently opponent-less. With UFC 293 scheduled for August in Australia, and champion Adesanya being from the neighboring New Zealand, expectations are high for a middleweight title fight to headline the event.
Strickland is confident that now is his time to challenge Adesanya. This follows his previous wins against Magomedov and Nassourdine Imavov. Adesanya is in desperate need of fresh competition having already defeated almost every other 185-pound challenger. Strickland stated emphatically during the UFC Vegas 76 post-fight press conference that he has earned his shot at the title after repeatedly sending home every new challenger UFC introduces.
However, the upcoming match between the erstwhile champion Robert Whittaker and Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 290 on July 8th presents a potential hurdle in Strickland’s path. Dana White, UFC president, had promised the winner of this fight a chance at the title. Despite Adesanya already having two previous victories over Whittaker and Du Plessis riding a five-match winning streak at UFC, Strickland is doubtful about Du Plessis getting through Whittaker to challenge Adesanya.
In Strickland’s view, the fans and UFC itself are keen to see some fresh talent challenging Adesanya, adding further motivation for his quest for the title shot. Adesanya, after his rivalry battles with ex-champion Alex Pereira resulted in Pereira moving to light heavyweight, is also running out of options if Whitaker wins against Du Plessis.