“I think there was an air of arrogance hanging in his corner and around Israel Adesanya himself,” the American said in another video posted on his Youtube channel. “Even when he went down in the first round and was very close to an early defeat, there was still a smug look on his face, like, ‘God bless this guy, he got in. Overhand? Oh well, no need to worry.’ There was no stress, no anxiety, no realization that he was dealing with a real threat.”
After defeating the champion 49-46 three times, Sean Strickland couldn’t believe the victory came so easily.
“I was able to talk to Sean after the fight and he told me, ‘Honestly, I can’t believe what’s going on.’ He couldn’t realize what was going on because he didn’t just beat Adesanya, but he did it in a way that he didn’t even expect himself. He was like, ‘I swear, D.C., I didn’t think the fight would be like this – I don’t understand it’. Another important thought came through. ‘I think we’re in for a rematch, and it’s going to be a lot tougher,’ he said. ‘Shawn is convinced Adesanya underestimated him’