Israel Adesanya has called out Sean Strickland for being ‘mentally unhealthy’. Adesanya recently came out with a documentary called ‘Stylebender’ in 2023, and a lot of it is about the mental aspect of the fight game and his conversations with his therapist. Likewise, Strickland, too, has revealed on social media that he has been struggling with his mental health recently.
Israel Adesanya recently appeared on The MMA Hour hosted by Ariel Helwani, on YouTube. While on the podcast, he spoke about Strickland and his latest antics, including his sparring session with Sneako. Recently, Strickland received a lot of heat for going hard at the YouTuber, ultimately leaving him with a bleeding nose. Reflecting on the same, ‘Izzy’ said,
“Even someone like Sean could benefit from it (his movie) coz I saw the clip of him in his car…Even when he beat up Sneako, that’s not a healthy person”
Sean Strickland posted a number of tweets and videos on X talking about his mental health. The former UFC Middleweight Champion went on to state that despite achieving everything he wanted in life, his mental health was not anywhere around a 100%.
Israel Adesanya could relate with Sean Strickland because he felt the same way after he became the champion. Adesanya advised Strickland to adhere to therapy, as it helped him to tackle his issues effectively. He also stated that Strickland showed growth by at least talking about his mental health on social media. However, the praise did not last for too long as ‘The Last Stylebender’ then went on to criticize Strickland for the kind of pay he was getting.
Israel Adesanya mocks Sean Strickland for meager pay that came as a result of ‘horrible’ title reign
Israel Adesanya mocked Sean Strickland’s reign as the champion. The New Zealand native sarcastically applauded as he spoke about the same. As a matter of fact, the American could not defend his belt as he lost to Dricus Du Plessis in what was just his first title defense. Kenny Okoye posted a clip from the interview with Ariel Helwani on X, where Adesanya mocked Strickland. He said,
“Strickland, he f*cking got offered apparently 200k to fight Costa after being the champ. But again, what a reign, amazing.”
Israel Adesanya claims that the UFC is offering a meager $200,000 to Strickland for a potential fight against Paulo Costa. As a former champion, Adesanya thinks that the pay is very less. Strickland also wants the rematch against Dricus Du Plessis since he believes he won the fight. However, the South African currently has his eyes fixed on Adesanya.
With both Adesanya and Du Plessis ready to accept the fight, it might just be a matter of time when Dana White confirms the same.
