Sean Strickland has responded to Israel Adesanya's claim that they will face each other at UFC 293 in Australia.
Adesanya hinted at the possibility of a fight after disclosing that Dricus Du Plessis would be unavailable for the scheduled September 9th, 2023 date in Australia. Du Plessis' recent victory over Robert Whittaker resulted in a short turnaround, approximately seven weeks, ruling him out as a potential opponent.
Consequently, Strickland became the focus of Adesanya's attention, as he aims to defend his middleweight title, which he earned in a match against Alex Pereira.
For Strickland to consider accepting the fight, he has his sights set on a mega payday, particularly given the quick turnaround involved.
“I’m a f*****g man, I’m not a f*****g p****y. If you pay me, I have a price. You pay me money, I will fight him right here. Unlike Dricus who is probably a smarter man (than me), the true African he is, I am not.
“You f*****g pay me, we will fight right here… I mean, we are in talks. Like I said, just f*****g pay me,” Strickland said.
Adesanya will be the A-side coming into the fight, but Strickland is on a good run of form.
Two wins in his last two against Abus Magomedov and Nassourdine Imavov have put him in the hat to face Adesanya. So will it happen? Time will tell.