Adesanya 'quietly confident' he'd beat Strickland in rematch
In his first public comments since losing the middleweight title to Sean Strickland at UFC 293, Israel Adesanya said things would go differently if they were to fight again.
"I'm quietly confident," Adesanya said. "That's after watching the fight. I was like, 'Oh yeah, I see (what went wrong).'"
He added, "As soon as I watched it, it's the same reaction every time I'm like 'Oh, that wasn't that bad' ... the way I felt in there was different than how it looked."
Strickland stunned Adesanya by unanimous decision at UFC 293 to capture the title in one of the biggest upsets in MMA history. The former two-time champion has now dropped two of his last three fights.
UFC president Dana White said after the bout that a rematch would be "interesting" but has yet to confirm whether it will happen.
Adesanya praised Strickland's strategy at UFC 293.
"I wasn't able to get my rhythm 'cause of his pressure. He was right there constantly," Adesanya said, adding, "It was his night. He got it done. I made another dream come true."
When asked when he would get in the Octagon next, Adesanya only smiled and said, "We'll see."
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