Sean Strickland has reacted to Israel Adesanya’s claim that they will face each other at UFC 293 in Australia.
Adesanya initially teased the prospect of a bout after revealing that Dricus Du Plessis would not be able to make a September 9th, 2023, date in Australia.
The short turnaround, which would be around seven weeks, has reportedly ruled out Du Plessis following his recent win over Robert Whittaker.
Therefore, Strickland was the name on Adesanya’s lips, as he seeks to defend his middleweight title that he secured against Alex Pereira.
However, in order to make that happen, Strickland was targeting a mega payday, especially in light of the quick turnaround.
“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
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.