Predicting a one-sided victory over incoming title challenger, Sean Strickland at UFC 293 next month in Sydney, Australia, incumbent middleweight champion, Israel Adesanya has claimed he will make the former his “b*tch” when they share the stage and October in September. 

Adesanya, the current and two-time undisputed middleweight champion, has been sidelined from the Octagon since he headlined UFC 287 back in April in Miami, Florida, defeating Brazilian knockout artist and common-foe, Alex Pereira with a thunderous second round KO. 

As for Strickland, the surging Californian headlined his two most recent Octagon walks – defeating Abusupiyan Magomedov with a second round TKO back in July, which followed a prior decision win over Nassourdine Imavov at the light heavyweight limit back in January.

Israel Adesanya claims he can verbally hold his own with Sean Strickland

And while fans expect a verbal onslaught from Strickland aimed toward Adesanya following a brief battle in the summer of last year, the City Kickboxing staple has plans to turn the tables firmly on the challenger.

“Nothing in particular that he’s (Sean Strickland) said has gotten to me,” Israel Adesanya told MMA Junkie. “But just his whole – any time he breathes he just says some idiotic things. I kind of want to show people what happens backstage, I want to show them on the main stage that he’s my b*tch.”

“I’m a loud man when I need to be loud,” Israel Adesanya explained. “But, I’m very quiet and I’ll observe and he definitely has his own insecurities and whatnot. ‘Oh, I’m a man, riding my motorcycle with my boots and drink my beer.’ He wants to be that guy and with the machismo. I don’t need to prove I’m a man doing all that kind of sh*t. I just be me and I’ll still f*ck you up.” 

Who wins at UFC 293, Israel Adesanya or Sean Strickland?