UFC President Dana White is still uncertain about what happened to Israel Adesanya during his shocking loss to Sean Strickland at UFC 293, with a potential rematch on the cards, although no plans have been officially made yet.
UFC President Dana White remains uncertain about the circumstances surrounding Israel Adesanya’s performance at UFC 293. After the match, White questioned Adesanya’s wellbeing due to a noticeable change in his performance and energy. However, Adesanya gave little away and appeared mysterious, stating that he would open up at a later time. The brief interaction they shared backstage left White in the dark about Adesanya’s state of mind.
Adesanya’s loss against Sean Strickland at UFC 293 came as quite a shock for most, particularly considering that it was quickly crowned as one of the biggest “Upset of the Year” contenders. Post-match, Adesanya gave a succinct statement to the media, diverting the rest of his usual press conference responsibilities to his longtime coach, Eugene Bareman. Bareman was quick to request an immediate rematch, keen to correct the shortcomings of their fight with Strickland. Adesanya, on the other hand, seemed less concerned about discussing the loss and stated that he wished to spend time with his support team.
Strickland outperformed expectations phenomenally during the fight, ranking as the 7-1 underdog against Adesanya. Subsequent to five rounds of him dominating the fight, he won with the unanimous scorecards at 49-46. The unexpected result prompted White to suggest that an immediate rematch between the two could be a possibility. However, when Adesanya finally addressed the press, he left everyone with more questions than answers about his performance, causing White to reconsider the rematch’s likelihood.
A few days later, the UFC middleweight division presented several other potential matches. Ex-title contender Jared Cannonier was a backup at UFC 293, while originally, Adesanya was supposed to fight Dricus du Plessis before a foot injury cancelled his involvement. Speculations about a UFC 294 showdown between Khamzat Chimaev and Paulo Costa also kept the MMA world buzzing about potential title challenges. However, when the rumor of Strickland vs. Adesanya 2 started doing rounds, White refuted the claims. He made it clear that while he’s not opposed to a rematch with Israel, various other options need to be explored.