The American, who in three months will have to share the octagon with current UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards, said in an interview with James Lynch.
“That’s the beauty of the UFC – it’s a real sport,” “Chaos” said, commenting on the recent loss to Israel Adesanya in his fight against Sean Strickland. “Anybody can beat anybody, and if you go into a fight unprepared, that can happen. Obviously, Adesanya underestimated him. He thought he could get past this guy easily and he didn’t train properly. Besides, he’s too comfortable with himself – he’s got big fees and he’s not as hungry as he used to be”
“It opens the door for all middleweights then that Strickland is the easiest guy to beat. Honestly, it opens the door for me as well. I’ll probably go up there and kick his ass. The guy’s a goddamn punk. Even Kamaru Usman beat him – imagine what I, the American champion, would do to him. Yeah, Strickland could be my next opponent. I could move up to middleweight and steal that belt. Double champion!”
As a reminder, a title fight between Leon Edwards and Colby Covington will headline UFC 296 in Las Vegas on Dec. 16.