Sean Strickland shares uplifting message with Israel Adesanya after UFC Saudi Arabia loss

Believe it or not, Sean Strickland actually had something nice to say about fellow former UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya – and his words seemed genuine.

Strickland, who challenges Dricus Du Plessis for the 185-pound title in a rematch Saturday at UFC 312 (ESPN+ pay-per-view) in Sydney, appeared Tuesday on Fox Sports Australia, where he was asked for his thoughts on Adesanya dropping his third consecutive fight following a knockout loss to Nassourdine Imavov this past weekend at UFC Fight Night 250.

Rather than kick Adesanya while he’s down, which is the type of behavior fans have come to expect from Strickland, he was classy and respectful.

“At the end of the day, Izzy’s made his legacy,” Strickland said. “He made his legacy. If you want to continue to fight, continue to fight. But you’ve done what you wanted to do. You don’t really have to prove anything. You’re a lasting name in the sport. You’ve chiseled your name in it, no shame. Getting older, it happens, you know?”

Strickland’s words of encouragement come as a surprise considering how personal and heated his feud with Adesanya was leading to their UFC 293 title fight in September 2023. On that night, Strickland claimed the middleweight championship with a lopsided unanimous decision win over Adesanya.

For Adesanya, that was the start of his current three-fight skid, which includes a loss to Du Plessis and this past Saturday to Imavov.