Conor McGregor has claimed that Sean Strickland’s ‘spar only’ training methods helped him overcome Israel Adesanya at UFC 293.
Fans were left in shock on Saturday night as Strickland produced a dominant victory over Middleweight champion Adesanya. All three judges scored the contest 49-46 in favour of the American, earning him a win via unanimous decision.
The bout is already being described by many as ‘one of the biggest surprises in UFC title history’. Strickland entered the contest as a significant underdog, although those odds quickly changed as the fight progressed.
How It Played Out
Strickland looked timid to many sport enthusiasts during his ring walk. It soon turned out, however, that this was far from the case.
The 32-year-old consistently dictated the fight’s pace throughout the 25 minutes. Adesanya found himself backed up against the cage on a constant basis, and struggled to find the counter shot that won him his previous outing against long-standing rival Alex Pereiera.
Strickland, who had previously recorded just one knockdown at middleweight, connected with a perfectly-timed right cross in the first round. This sent ‘The Last Stylebender‘ crashing to the canvas, although he managed to ride out the final seconds of the round.
The former champ looked a shell of his former self in large portions of the bout. Strickland remained defensively flawless, and kept his game simple to combat the well-known nature of Adesanya.
It was clear to pundtis and fans alike which way the contest was to be scored following the final bell. Strickland had outstuck his octagon counterpart in three of the five rounds, also winning the third as he connected with the more-powerful strikes.
Conor McGregor Credits Strickland
Many fellow fighters reacted to the shock result live. Conor McGregor, who remains active on social media despite a long-octagon lay-off, took to X to credit the new champion.
He said: “The ‘spar only’ method crowns the new UFC middleweight world champion.
“Well done Sean. Unlucky Izzy. Two quality operators as well as complete opposite characters facing off, where else would you get it. Incredible!
“What a sport. What a company! UFC is King.”
The Irishman is known for undergoing heavy sparring-based camps. Strickland is no different – he even posted a video which showed him knocking out a fellow sparring partner, much to the distaste of Adesanya and many others in the community.
McGregor recently appeared on the UFC’s spin-off series, ‘The Ultimate Fighter‘, and it is thought that he is preparing for a comeback bout against the series’ opposing coach Michael Chandler.
‘Notorious‘ has publicly set himself a return target of UFC 296, although promotion President Dana White believes a comeback in 2024 is more likely.
Do you agree with Conor McGregor? Were you suprised that Strickland beat Adesanya last night? Let us know in the comments!
Featured image credits to Embed from Getty Images
