MMA
Israel Adesanya gives Sean Strickland's skills this brutal rating
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Israel Adesanya was supposed to fight top contender Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 293 on September 9, but the South African fighter reportedly suffered an injury forcing the company to name a new opponent to challenge the reigning middleweight champion.
Considering that Adesanya already defeated No. 2 Robert Whittaker (twice), third-ranked Jared Cannonier and No. 4 Marvin Vettori, the UFC tabbed fifth-ranked Sean Strickland to receive the title shot in the main event.
Strickland bounced back from two straight losses to end 2022 by winning two consecutive bouts this year.
So, how does Adesanya rate Strickland's skills?
Not very high.
"Threat meter, Strickland, to be honest ... skill-wise, I give him a three. Skill-wise I give him a three," Adesanya told Combat TV.
That doesn't mean that "The Last Stylebender" is overlooking Strickland at all.
"A man with nothing to lose and everything to gain is a dangerous man, so that's why I take him seriously and that's why I put in the work and I've been grinding."
He then reiterated his sentiment before tacking on one more point for good measure.
"Skill-wise, not even close," he said. "But a man with nothing to lose and everything to gain is a dangerous man, so I take him very seriously and I'm going to show him that I'm the dangerous man."
Adesanya is coming off a dramatic second-round KO of Alex Pereira in their April rematch to become a two-time middleweight world champ.
