Caio Borralho doesn’t see Israel Adesanya getting revenge over Sean Strickland in the Octagon.
Former UFC titleholders Israel Adesanya and Sean Strickland could potentially be on a collision course amid both fighters’ recent skids. Adesanya recently called out Strickland for his next fight on the UFC Hall of Fame red carpet.
Strickland, following two losses to UFC middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis, is outside of the title mix after a lopsided performance at UFC 312. A timeline is uncertain for Strickland’s return to the cage after a recent incident at a Tuff-N-Uff event in Las Vegas.
As the UFC matchmakers plot fights for both stars, a rematch between Strickland and Adesanya would make a lot of sense for later this year. But a top contender doesn’t believe Adesanya stands a chance at defeating Strickland after their five-round fight at UFC 293.
Caio Borralho gives Israel Adesanya little chances to get revenge over Sean Strickland
During a recent interview with Submission Radio, Caio Borralho explained why he believes Adesanya won’t get the better of Strickland in their potential middleweight rematch.
“To be honest, I see it the same way, because Strickland…styles make fights, and Strickland is a guy that pressures a lot, and Izzy doesn’t like to get pressured too much,” Borralho said.
“He moves a lot, moves very well in the Octagon, but he needs the guy to throw with everything if the guy is pressuring him. But Sean Strickland doesn’t put everything out, he touches. And maybe it could be different, but I think it’ll be the same thing.
“Strickland will march forward, Izzy is going to try to guess which punch is coming with power, and then there will be no power and he’ll be a bit confused,” Borralho continued. “Get touched a lot, and I think Strickland wins again. Not the Strickland that showed up against Dricus, because that Strickland was not the Strickland that I know. So if he really shows up to fight like he did the first time against Izzy, he wins.”
Adesanya is riding a three-fight losing streak, including his most-recent defeat to Nassourdine Imavov at UFC Saudi Arabia earlier this year. Borralho will face Imavov at UFC Paris in September.
Strickland pulled off one of the biggest upsets in UFC history when he defeated Adesanya by unanimous decision at UFC 293 to win the middleweight belt. Strickland went on to lose the title to du Plessis at UFC 297.
Israel Adesanya vehemently defended Jon Jones against trolly TikToker
As Adesanya plots his UFC comeback, he was a major presence during the UFC’s International Fight Week festivities last month in Las Vegas. During a meet-and-greet with fans, a fan implored Adesanya to insult Jon Jones, to which the former middleweight champion vehemently declined.
Adesanya defended Jones against a trolling TikToker during the UFC fan meet-and-greet, imploring the troll to ‘use his brain’ when belittling MMA fighters. It was in stark contrast to Adesanya’s previous beef with Jones earlier in their UFC careers.
Adesanya will look to return to the middleweight title picture in his next fight, potentially against Strickland, by the end of the year.