Sean Strickland thought beating Israel Adesanya ‘would be a lot harder’ - UFC 293
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00:00 I think you should that fight against Israel
00:03 I mean all for all three judges scored at four rounds to one is that
00:07 How you envisioned it because when we spoke in the fighter means it seemed like you had a different opinion on how especially the first
00:13 Two rounds would go. Yeah, you know, I think I'm one of the best strikers in the world
00:16 I thought I'd be walking away a little bloody little messed up looking cuss
00:20 But I didn't really take much damage other than checking a few kicks
00:23 But yeah, I still don't really I still can't quite wrap my head around you guys
00:26 I thought it'd be a lot harder the jab and your defense were just absolutely on point tonight to vital components of this victory
00:34 I mean, what was it about your job that just allowed it to keep landing? I love to box you guys
00:39 I box world-class boxers my buddy Robin Shafar, you know
00:43 I boxed guys that most of the May guys can't hang with for you know, five rounds
00:47 I'll go twelve rounds with any world-class boxer. So I just put in the work put in the work you talk about your boxing
00:52 We saw no grappling and that's how so many people envision this one going
00:56 Oh Sean's going to shoot for takedowns or Sean's gonna try and take this to the canvas you you had no need but also it
01:02 Seems like you had no desire, you know, I I am a great wrestler and I probably could have took him down
01:06 He was like dog tired. So I probably could have took him down, but then they might like the strike, you know
01:11 Go out on your shield is better that way with the striking
01:14 There also seemed to be no sign at all of any fatigue on your end
01:19 I mean, what's the secret to this? We hear these these myths of Sean Strickland in the gym doing so many rounds in order to
01:25 Prepare for this but what does it come down to so we're sparring Tuesday at extreme. I'm landing Monday
01:31 I'll be in for sparring on Tuesday guys
01:33 That's why I always I always work hard this belt truly means nothing to me. I love it
01:38 I want it but this sport is what I love this belt is this belt means nothing
01:42 This sports where I love the teams where I love the fans where I love so can't damn always I love it
01:48 I'm gonna be back in banging making my buddies bleed. I'm gonna bleed like it's you this is you this sport
01:53 This belt means nothing this sports. The only thing that makes me happy in life
01:55 You know, it's it's really beautiful and introspective how you talk about that
01:59 This doesn't define you when it would define so many other athletes. However, I mean look at look at Izzy
02:05 You know is he's a definition of a superstar like
02:09 He's a super athlete. I love this sport because it saved my life without this. I would have been in a cage somewhere
02:15 I would have been a piece of pride doing drugs
02:18 Like this sport gave me a second chance to life
02:20 Not only the sport but the fans man, like this sport would not exist without you guys. So this means nothing to me
02:27 I'm just happy that I can I'm 32. I'm happy that I can keep doing what I love
02:30 And also serving as an example whether you realize it or not
02:33 There are so many kids and people who are gonna watch this from less fortunate
02:37 backgrounds or struggling in the same way in which a young Sean
02:40 Struggled and maybe see that if you just work hard things will happen for you. Is that does that set in at all?
02:45 Oh, yeah, I mean I was I mean I see kids now and it's sometimes like you walk by it's like looking at me or when
02:51 I was younger. I hated myself
02:52 You know, you wake up every day look in the mirror even now do you guys an adult?
02:56 there's times I look in the mirror and I I hate what's looking back at me just from you know, all the trauma as a kid, but
03:01 This sport is like a family Eric Nick sick Alex Danny like Brad to bars all the guys extreme man
03:09 It's like a true brotherhood and and all this means nothing. It's just
03:14 MMA guys, it's truly life-saving if you guys have any issues in your life, come on down. I'll give you some work
03:19 Work you did for this when you talk about extreme couture Eric Nick sick
03:24 How did they best prepare you for this one?
03:26 Because it seemed like even in between rounds in the corner
03:28 They were telling you exactly what you needed to hear at one point saying hey
03:31 He's snake charming you stop watching and it seemed like it worked. No, Eric's a leader man
03:36 Like you guys not an idiot. I barely listen to anything
03:39 But but Eric's one of those guys that when you go into battle
03:41 He's he's going to battle with you when you lose he loses with you when he win he wins with you
03:46 So when you got a guy like that who just exudes passion in the corner
03:50 You want to go in there and you want to go die on your shield, you know, so
03:53 Eric is a natural-born leader and he he always motivates me
03:58 You said something at the beginning of this interview that I want to circle back to you said I thought it would be harder
04:02 And I'm just curious in your mind. What exactly you know
04:08 You think now that you have defeated Israel Adesanya who is a face and beaten some of the best in the world
04:14 Like is it almost a hard concept to grasp?
04:16 Yeah, you know you guys I work my ass off and like I always tell people I've been caught in fights
04:21 We've all been caught but I'm the one of the best strikers in the world. I'm one of the best boxers in world
04:25 I could hang with any box or any striker and you know
04:28 When you play the man dance game, sometimes you get caught sometimes you get knocked out
04:32 But I truly believe I'm one of the best strikers in the world. How close was it to ending in the first?
04:36 You know it once he came up once he came up I could see him came back
04:40 but the life was kind of taken from him once he got up and you could see it in his eyes like
04:45 Whenever a man knows he's been beaten whenever a man knows he can't land a punch
04:49 You could start seeing it spiral and backpedal and and no hats off to Izzy man
04:54 He's a legend like to say that I'm not a fan of Izzy would be a liar
04:57 I I've watched that guy just like you guys watch that guy
05:00 He's a savage and you know part of me like I like watching him bleed
05:05 I like watching the blood drip down his face, you know, especially like in the fourth round every time he hit a blow
05:09 We just play from his face. I loved it, but after the fact like oh man, that's a legend
05:13 Absolutely true. You told us this week in the fighter meetings
05:17 You cannot let the moment get too big for you and I asked you well, how do you prepare yourself for that?
05:22 How do you work on not letting yeah 12 pounds of gold there?
05:26 Letting the moment be the only champion
05:29 I'm telling you that would ever have done this a brand new champion put his belt on the floor
05:33 It really doesn't matter to you. It means absolutely nothing. I'll win. I'll lose you win
05:37 You'll lose man
05:38 As long as you guys are happy in your own life and you realize it and in five years you and I'm an old man
05:44 Ten years fifteen years. I'm a little man. This means absolutely
05:46 Nothing just a quick couple of ones before we let you do the rest of your media
05:51 How did you not let the moment get too big because I'm I found it so interesting how you talked about it
05:56 But then you really lived it out there. It's got a fight, you know, there's fights wherever you hear guys say
06:00 Hey, you're gonna get a title fight if you win you just you overthink you do wrong, you know
06:05 And and that was just let's go in there and fight
06:08 It felt like I was just at the gym having a good time a lot was made about your walkout
06:12 people felt like
06:14 By the look on your face and the way you were making your way to the octagon
06:17 That maybe you were nervous or you didn't want to be there. What was going through your mind?
06:21 Anybody who says they want to be here is a lie
06:24 Like when you get in that cage when you're in the back warming up
06:28 You're telling yourself I have to I have to fight for 25 minutes
06:31 I have to be mentally spiritually ready to die for this
06:34 And if that if anybody wants to truly do that and like getting that mindset, it's guys
06:40 so like I hate face downs cuz like I hate looking at some of the eyes cuz like I'm gonna like in two days I'm
06:46 Gonna try to murder you. I'm gonna try to spiritually get to a place where I want to take your soul
06:51 I want to orphan your family. You know what I'm saying?
06:53 So it's like when you're going out there, you just got to like embrace this like I'm ready to die for what I want
06:59 It's hard to do. Well, you didn't need to go nearly that far because you got what you want with relative ease now
07:06 Here is the part of being a champion that you'll probably get immediately tired of where we ask you what is next?
07:11 Yeah, you know, I'm gonna go ahead let my leg heal. I'm gonna do some boxing for a little bit
07:15 We'll go look, you know and get back to drawing board you guys keep grinding man
07:20 Keep fighting for the people give the people what they want. Listen this Australia crowd
07:23 Absolutely embraced you we can't wait to see who and where you fight next Sean
07:28 Congratulations well-deserved. Thank you guys. Thanks
07:31 Thank you for watching ESPN on YouTube for live streaming sports and premium content subscribe to ESPN plus