UFC 293: Alexander Volkanovski Shares His Thoughts on Israel Adesanya vs. Sean Strickland 

Alexander Volkanovski recently weighed in on the highly anticipated Israel Adesanya vs. Sean Strickland matchup. 

‘The Last Stylebender’ is set to go up against ‘Tarzan’ in a middleweight title bout at UFC 293 at the Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney on September 10. This bout would also mark Adesanya’s first title defense since reclaiming the 185-pound strap from Alex Pereira in their rematch at UFC 287. Meanwhile, this will be Strickland’s first title shot outing in the octagon since his promotional debut in March 2014. 

It’s no secret that Israel Adesanya and Sean Strickland have no love for each other. The two middleweight stars have previously exchanged vicious verbal jabs on social media and continue doing so whenever possible. Given Strickland’s reputation as a brashly outspoken fighter, it’s unsurprising that his words have gotten under Adesanya’s skin numerous times.

While many expect Israel Adesanya to brush past Sean Strickland with relative ease, featherweight king Alexander Volkanovski believes ‘Tarzan’ will be in for a punishment of a lifetime, thanks to his loose tongue. 

In a recent video uploaded to his YouTube channel, ‘The Great’ discussed the upcoming middleweight title bout and stated:

“Really looking forward to this one, it’s good to have someone like myself or Izzy defending our belts here in Australia. I’m very glad that he was able to get that over the line. I think it’s a great fight.”

Alexander Volkanovski continued:

“Obviously, Sean Strickland is gonna talk, Sean is gonna try and get under his skin. So that’s gonna make it fun. But I feel Izzy is going to really, really put it on him. Especially with the talk that’s gonna happen. I think Strickland is going to definitely pay for some of the things he’s going to say. Stylistically, I feel like he’s definitely going to get hurt.”