Israel Adesanya Briefly Addressed The Media But Didn't Answer Any Questions After UFC 293
After being shockingly dominated and upset by Sean Strickland last night at UFC 293, the former champ Israel Adesanya didn't stick around for a post-fight interview in the cage with Daniel Cormier - which was a little surprising to me!
He's always been one to discuss and handle losses well; but I didn't think too much of it, and even wrote in my recap blog....
"I'd be shocked if [Adesanya] didn't show up to the post-fight presser tonight. He handled his KO loss to Alex Pereira phenomenally months back, and I can't imagine this one hurt more than that."
Well, Adesanya DID show up to the post-fight presser after all - but only to make a quick statement before handing it over to his head coach Eugene Bareman....
“I had a different plan for this, but again, life throws curveballs at you. Win or lose, I wasn’t going to say much anyway, but right now, I lost tonight to the better man on the night. I just want to go and be with people who care about me - my team; and they’re waiting for me so I’m going to do that.
BUT I will leave you in the capable hands of a man who is much smarter than me - I’ll admit this on worldwide national media - I’ll leave you with Eugene Bareman. He’ll handle this for the first time. I want to go chill, have some breakfast, be with my family and…til next time.”
Adesanya then went out with his family and his team (City Kickboxing fighters went 3-3 and Eugene Bareman said Adesanya wanted to celebrate the winners) and shared a couple videos where he didn't seem to be taking the loss too harshly….
So I'm a bit torn on this - is it a bad look to not answer for your loss, especially when it wasn't a harsh knockout or anything?
Generally, I'd say it kind of is; but I still feel like Adesanya came off pretty well in his statement, and seems completely unbothered in the next two videos we got from him. Now could that be a knock on him - that he seemingly doesn't care about losing the UFC Middleweight Championship for the second time?
I'm sure some will say so, but Eugene Bareman made it clear that they want the rematch with Strickland as early as "next week" - and I don't think Stylebender is going to waste his shot at redemption when he gets it. I think similar to the Pereira rematch, he and the coaches at City Kickboxing are going to go back to the drawing board and come back with the tools to help neutralize Strickland's jab and get more active with his own offense in the next one.
Until that rematch, I'm not buying into any narrative that Adesanya has lost his passion or fury, because the last time he was doubted after a loss, he did this….
Cooper Neill. Getty Images.