UFC 293 Reaction: Sean Strickland Is ‘Beautiful Nightmare’ for UFC | The MMA Hour

[@wisdombrotha]

Sean put on a defensive masterclass. He deserves all the credit 🫡

[@levimckay860]

hands down

[@c.anderson3444]

There was no fight, it was a weak lob fest. The reality of his skill will be in how long he can hold that title not run his mouth.

[@nalsra0]

@@c.anderson3444Cope harder

[@funkspinna]

@@c.anderson3444 Sean made it look that easy, against one of the greatest of the division.

[@c.anderson3444]

@@funkspinna we will see how long he holds it

[@kevomeister]

I'm sure Ariel cried when Strickland won.

[@omarisawesome1996]

Why would he? He likes people who go on his show.

[@Mahhhdeee]

By the way he stirred up the DDP Izzy drama it makes sense as to why Ariel would be upset strickland won

[@bobspijkermans8653]

Hahaha for sure for sure

[@m.e858]

Sean Strickland deserves all the credit and Izzy has no excuse at all, he just couldn't figure Sean out he literally was desperate and even surprised that Sean literally out striking him with only basics nothing else whatsoever

[@javierlandaverde4108]

Really hard to bring a guy that fights like Sean Strickland to a training camp for sparring. I'm sure Izzy and Eugene sat down and watch a lot of footage of Sean. It's different when you fight. Sean also evolved. He sucks at blocking calf kicks and he had no issue vs Adensanya.

[@patrick1564]

Is it just me or did Izzy look drained in the pressers before the fight from the cutting? I swear he looked pale af and had these short answers to the media, I dunno

[@STiergoofball]

Izzy has no excuse? Man he didn't even make any

[@androogalt]

​@STiergoofball yeah, Izzy himself seemed pretty straight up - he shouldn't have left the presser, but in doing so he also didn't make any excuses. It moreso revealed he didn't have any. It's others that are making them for him. Izzy excuse for losing is that he was fighting Sean

[@STiergoofball]

@@androogalt Nah No excuses Sean was better and Izzy straight up said that

[@mugshotmarley]

Izzy looked fine. He was moving and striking like normal whenever he briefly broke out of Sean's pressure. Sean just so happen had the perfect gameplan and style to dominate Izzy. The only person to walk Izzy down was Poatan, which is why he won the 1st time.

[@Ajagodkin]

Yes! Izzy did what he always does. Doesnt work against Sean, that all

[@BlueBARv5]

Yeah izzy looked fine and wasn't having an "off night"..... I think izzy "threw" the fight because he wanted another comeback story to add to his legacy..

[@TS-jd9qs]

I've been saying for such a long time that if Costa had just gone forward like he normally does, rather than hanging on the outside, he could've beaten Izzy. If Yoel had fought like we know he can, could probably have beaten Izzy quite easily. March through his offense and then you have him. Dogbender isn't as golden a champion as all the pundits like to think

[@doublec1758]

@@BlueBARv5C’mon man, you can’t be serious.

[@noahbrown2100]

@@TS-jd9qsYoel doesn’t even fight like that, what are you talking about?

[@jasonventura7790]

Ariel don’t be like Dana White discrediting Sean’s performance. He made Izzy look off because he shut him down.

[@johnlyly7142]

@@xavierb9061 strickland walked him down same as pereira and alex was putting him in big trouble but got caught cuz he went crazy for the finish KO but sean just methodically break him down

[@johnlyly7142]

ariel is izzy nut gaggler hes very bias

[@jonoharper4729]

​@@johnlyly7142 Agreed, in their second fight Alex was totally dominating Izzy, for every second of that bout until he got careless and stepped into range. Should've stayed on the outside and picked Izzy apart, like he was doing until he got KO'd.

[@Austin.Kilgore]

Ariel and Dana are one in the same…

[@RemingtonMiles-sr9uf]

That's funny considering they hate each other's guts.

[@2AA11Day]

I've never been happier to watch someone win a belt

[@etbearflags8046]

Same bro 💯

[@DMTEntity88]

He sold his soul

[@duramaxdad]

@@DMTEntity88bro. U appreciate dmt. Entities come into you good or bad w dmt. So u should know about your soul. Izzy has more sponsors then Sean so.

[@pretrails]

Same here

[@patricknewill558]

same, that first round I freaked out at my friends place.

[@JamesDoylesGarage]

NEVER ENJOYED AND UNDERDOG VICTORY MORE in my whole life! There's something about Sean's real life struggles from the bottom to the top, that we can all relate to some big or small way.

[@pranav2222]

Hell yeah man! Same for me. It’s infuriating to see the weasels like Ariel trying to make excuses tho

[@brooksysdead]

Started at the bottom now he here 🤌

[@jjjk24]

He completely shut down Izzy’s offense. Checked most of the kicks. Blocked and parried almost every single punch. Izzy has almost no clinch game and no wrestling so he didnt even have to worry about that.

[@weignerleigner3037]

I mean izzy doesn’t have much offense he’s a counter striker. That’s why most of his fights are boring.

[@Onlybadtakes2589]

Ariel downplays the Pereira 1 stoppage and now giving more excuses to Izzy in this one? Sean had the perfect gameplan and countered Izzy on everything. It was insane performance and a huge upset. Saying Izzy looked off undersells the performance we witness. Dude cut the cage everytime, checked almost every leg kick (Izzy's main weapon), deflected a lot of Izzy's straight shots, and gassed out Izzy with forward pressure and teep kicks.

[@PhoenixPicks_]

Hopefully Ariel didn’t cry too much when Izzy lost 😂

[@espada9]

Probably rubbed one out to some cartoons.

[@PhoenixPicks_]

@@espada9maybe Ariel got his dog involved too 😂

[@DarkCloudNC]

Izzy will win the rematch

[@Jp-do9ny]

​@@DarkCloudNCKeep coping

[@Jason-gt3ht]

He’s become such a pick me girl. He’s ngannous hype girl because he doesn’t like Dana. He’s Izzy’s ball holder because his interviews get clicks

[@teegees]

This was arguably the biggest upset, because 1) it wasn’t a lucky punch, it was total domination. If we look at other upsets, they pretty much all included some fight-ending sequence 2) Sean wasn’t on a long winning streak - he wasn’t ready for a title shot yet in most people’s eyes 3) Izzy didn’t look “off” or sick or injured (he was on, but was shut down by Sean’s defensive style) In other words, most everyone, myself included , felt Sean would get schooled by Izzy due to the skill differential, and the experience differential. Boy was I wrong. But I was rooting for Sean nonetheless because I always root for the underdog. Turns out Sean schooled Izzy. Hope he can keep winning and defend the title at least once.

[@SinkMMA]

brotha matt sera got his title shot from being on a reality show and ended up knocking out the 170 goat. Izzy is 4-3 in his last 7

[@haleybourinot2765]

And another thing to mention he made izzy miss more than any fighter has made izzy miss. i forget the exact percentage but its something crazy..he checked every kick and just walked him down for 25 mins master class performance

[@kennethmortensen8159]

Was Holly holm a lucky punch?

[@teegees]

@@kennethmortensen8159 Holly Holm is a former Boxing and Kickboxing champion and was on a winning streak. Sean Strickland was basically a journeyman. And now he’s Champ, but he completely dominated Izzy who is arguably one of the greatest MW UFC champions of all time. It’s the profile differential.

[@teegees]

@@haleybourinot2765 Yeah Izzy basically landed like 3 significant strikes the entire fight. The Strickland defense was Izzy’s Kryptonite.

[@katelyn9182]

Multiple things can be true at the same time. The Australian crowd appreciate who Sean is as a human being because he is entertaining, has overcome some incredibly dark times, and is honest. Izzy isn’t as popular as the media keeps telling us he is (could have something to do with screaming the ‘n’ word in Dricus’s face, the ‘dog’ stuff’.. etc). Izzy isn’t likeable to many people- he speaks in cringey quotes and comes across as insincere and weird. Sean is a better fighter than Izzy- his style beat Izzy’s. Izzy wasn’t off- he just had no answer for Sean.

[@bs431980]

I believe you’re right. Israel is no where near as popular as pundits and the UFC make him out

[@Beetoe]

@@bs431980i think same goes for o maley, just ufc marketing

[@robovac3557]

Agree fully. I've commented many times how utterly unlikeable, cringey, insecure and just weird Adesanya is. Who he appealed to always baffled me.

[@ROBERTPUNU]

katelyn, and according to Proverbs 16:33, it is God that decides the victor of every UFC fight. God ordained that Sean should win. bonus video. kzbin.info/www/bejne/a32uY36dequYh8U

[@realMaverickBuckley]

Well also , the Crowd was Australian. Izzy is not Australian. So.. the crowd supports whoever they want. Its not a home crowd. That's like asking why a Mexican crowd isn't cheering for an American fighter.

[@TheDylbot5000]

Izzy wasn't off, Sean deserves all the credit. That was a master-class performance. No rematch.

[@Ajagodkin]

Izzy did what he always does. Defensive masterclass, Sean was like a SNAPPING TURTLE EATING A RABBIT. When it started biting and scratching it was just met an impenetrable shell. It tried to jump all over the place and it didnt matter, got eaten alive. Wasnt even close. Sean was outcome independent and was just stoked to be there. Dont think i would pay for the rematch- sure it might be a better fight but it would end the same. Let Izzy prove he is still taking fighting seriously, and beat another guy first. Make him work if he really wants it. Maybe he too rich and gonna smoke Costa and cant wait to see him against all these guys. Khamzat would beat strickland tho i think that would be dope

[@c.anderson3444]

Don't be scared homie..anyway if Strickland fights khamzat he will get a worse beatdown...he won and now he done😁.

[@RemingtonMiles-sr9uf]

No rematch?? lol ok buddy

[@gregoryrousseau5155]

Ariel is missing one crucial piece of the puzzle here. Sean was living in Izzy's head. He exposed him. Dog-gate, China-gate. And Izzy doubling down on it, he set himself up for the fall. Plus he lost some fans due to his behaviour. Well done Sean! Well played, perfect gameplan, perfect fight, pure domination. I hope he successfully defends a few times at least.

[@jst1]

Yea...anyone saying Izzy didn't get exposed in the fight has their head in the sand.This is the second fight with a guy who has top defensive skills who dominated Izzy...the other being Błachowicz.Izzy has been exposed and the book to beat him has now been wrote.

[@saynotothegreatreset]

Ariel doesn't want to mention that because he is pals with izzy, he is biased

[@ROBERTPUNU]

has now been written is the proper form. @@jst1

[@DannyTubiolo]

i think Chimaev was in izzys head too, cause after Strickland his next opponent very well being him.

[@NycXTool]

Sean was what was going on in the fight. Sean walked Izzy down and gave him Zero room to do his signature izzy moves. Sean heald the center every minute of the fight, didnt give izzy an inch, cut him off and checked all those leg kicks, plus after almost getting finsihed in the 1st Izzy got shook. Alex Pereira said when he stepped in the ring with Strickland & saw the look on his face ,he was scared.

[@CJM23]

Sean fights just as much as Izzy and took in on short notice. Stop the excuses. Izzy got worked.

[@demetriusshaffer1784]

Facts this was seans 5th and izzys 4th since they both fought on the same card last july

[@markdyer2574]

That is a really good point

[@gbgtv300]

Izzy has over 100 professional fights

[@BOZ_11]

Sean fought 2 unranked bums before Izzy. It's not the same thing

[@mrmolloy]

Sean has not been fighting no.1 contenders for three years straight like Izzy with all the pressure on him as a champ. Stop the cap.

[@johnscustomsaws]

Even tho Ariel won't understand... all of us regular dudes who are fight fans are so happy to see Sean become the champ... we can NOT relate to Izzy... he's a cringe weirdo that acts like he's 12 and not to mention the actually disturbing dog nonsense... real UFC fans that aren't 12 and on tik tok are sick of the UFC pushing for Izzy to be the champ till the end of time and gobble his chode from the commentary team (besides Sanko for the most part) to Ariel and Dana... we will never understand why... Sean is someone we can relate to and it's nice to have a change... Dana wants the immediate rematch thats how bad he wants to get Izzy back as champ but I am all for it... let him get dominated again and drop him down a peg or 2...

[@Captain_Insano_nomercy]

Preach brother 🙌 this guy represents the average dude who ain't fruity

[@Austin.Kilgore]

I think he’s starting to

[@leatheryfoot6354]

Ariel making excuses for Izzy and discrediting Sean's win is honestly very disappointing.

[@Austin.Kilgore]

It’s expected… dudes glazing Izzy almost as much as Dana

[@ubong1293]

Took 1 minute for Ariel to start defending Izzy. Crazy

[@ubong1293]

And then 3 minutes to hate on Dana

[@joshuadelacruz6617]

I'm unapologetically a huge Adesanya fan, but Strickland inspired the hell out of me. Dear Lord. If he can do what he did, all things are possible. He has seriously changed my way of thinking. Hopefully forever. He truly has shifted my view of the world. What an absolute stud. Sean Strickland: the American hero we didn't know we deserved.

[@Neil-qg9cw]

Imagine being unapologetic about being a fan of a man who abuses dogs. Just accept that Izzy is a freak and let it go.

[@danielwilliams1858]

How can you still be an Izzy fan after Guru exposed his dog fetish? Weird flex but ok mate👍🏻

[@joshuadelacruz6617]

Dude. He didn't abuse a dog. That seems to be super over blown.

[@benlewis5312]

The “Izzy has been too active and it caught up to him” narrative is utter nonsense. Since July, Sean has fought 5x compared to Izzy’s 4x, they both fought Pereira and Cannonier, and they were both brutally KO’ed by Pereira. Sean also took this title shot on short notice 2 months after his last fight, had a terrible weight cut, dealt with jet lag, etc etc. Of course title shots are more pressure but Izzy has plenty of experience dealing with the attention whereas Sean does not. Stop making excuses for Izzy

[@levelup2014]

Shout out to the ref for not doing an early stoppage so we could see Sean’s masterclass

[@androogalt]

Izzy must have thought it was going to stop, could explain why he never got back in the fight.

[@joksimradovic4040]

I have not watched the video...I hope Ariel will not ride Izzy and try to downplay Seans win. Edit: He did...

[@Captain_Insano_nomercy]

Naturally he will

[@RawDogTV]

Don't even waste your time

[@KingJohnTX]

Spoiler:...... he did

[@thomasminarchickjr.7355]

The only person more disappointed than Izzy is Ariel

[@reallyharsh]

sean isn't offensive, he's just cracking jokes. funniest guy in the ufc. let him live

[@fastcarsfreedom7282]

Strickland is simply saying what most real Americans are feeling. Not only is Sean a voice for us. He is a authentic voice.

[@SiegfriedLextr]

Ariel "Izzy is still my king" Helwani is holding back his tears.

[@metalben123]

One thing that I haven't seen anyone say yet: when you get hit as hard as Izzy did in round one, it's not that Izzy didn't want to win and engage full on with Sean. It's that your body, perhaps on an unconscious level, doesn't want to receive that physical trauma again and keeps you away from damage. It's an embodied response as much as a mental choice.

[@SonOftheBattleCry]

Yea it’s def a mental gap unless you’re a crazy guy like Tony Ferguson who can get dropped and keep coming back

[@8thaccount535]

Yeah people overlook how much damage Sean inflicted on Izzy there. Not only was the right hand CLEAN, but then he hit him with like 20 thudding left hands in the follow up. Sure Izzy survived, but you can't underestimate how much damage he took there.

[@Ajagodkin]

I thought he looked scared when he was walking out. But i think that was just humble Sean looking into his own soul. The real Sean. He never forgets. Maybe he was scared - BUT IT LED TO THE GREATEST DEFENSIVE MASTERCLASS OF ALL TIME

[@martimxavier9690]

Maybe he was trying to get the fear out before it started. Sean looks like the kind of guy who isn't scared of getting hurt inside the cage

[@Ajagodkin]

SEAN DIDNT SIT DOWN A SINGLE TIME WHEN HE WAS IN THE CORNER- YET TO SEE ANYONE EVEN MENTION THAT YET.

[@closinginonclosure]

6:59 "This is not taking away from anything that happened in the fight 🥴"...Proceeds to make excuses for why Izzy lost. Saying "no excuse, but" before the excuses, doesn't cancel it out. We all see you.

[@BOZ_11]

Sean fought 2 unranked bums before Izzy. It's not a "same same" situation

[@closinginonclosure]

@@BOZ_11 Oh, you don't follow the sport very closely huh? Imagine calling Abus and Imavov bums. Haha. Imavov was ranked and Abus is no bum. Everyone was thinking the UFC was trying to fast track Abus to the title to shake the division up and bring in new blood. A lot of people thought Sean would lose that fight.

[@BOZ_11]

@@closinginonclosure they are bums. they're total bums; Abus has zero cardio (it's weird how a Dagestani is so poorly conditioned given what we're used to from them) and Imavov has zero wins over ranked fighters.

[@closinginonclosure]

@@BOZ_11 More ignorance. Imavov became ranked after beating Edmen Shahbazayan who is obviously on a current skid, but he was definitely ranked and even in the top 10 just a couple years ago. And Abus definitely hit a wall early against Sean. He looked tired in round 1, but who's to say what that was. Maybe an adrenaline dump from being in his first main event. It's not like we always see him like that in his fights. Either way the dude is still a great fighter and definitely not a bum. There's a reason he was put in that spot in the first place and just because he fatigued doesn't mean he's a bum. I mean, look at history and we've seen it countless times. Zabit for example.

[@BOZ_11]

@@closinginonclosure You're funny. The last time Edmen had a decent win, was pre-pandemic. Ancient history. The fight result was recorded on papyrus

[@danielmeuler2877]

Sean is going to be "Jorge Masvidal, Nate Diaz" Big now. The big difference is Sean is actually Championship Caliber.

[@Matsoni85]

MW too stacked. Khamzat to dominate the division in 12 months

[@KingJohnTX]

@@Matsoni85 Khamzat couldn't "dominate" a former LW in Burns.

[@Ryan-ys2bq]

@@KingJohnTX Boom! Exactly, if Costa is motivated (since Izzy we’ve not seen that) I think he has enough strength and size to shut down the rd 1 energy dump for the takedown and start doing damage. Think SS as champ will motivate Costa to get the road work in.

[@Neil-qg9cw]

​@@Matsoni85MW is not that stacked and Khamzat is completely untested against elite fighters. Whittaker and DDP destroy Khamzat stylistically imo.

[@rhysjeffery1630]

Noobie

[@knuckle-sandwichmma681]

The reason people love Sean is because he’s 1. a new version of the old school fighters. the badass brawlers who stand and bang yelling in your face who ride bikes and have armory in their garage. 2. because he’s unfiltered which is a pushback against the modern cancel culture. 3. because he’s authentic. he speaks his mind and doesnt give a fk what others think. 4. hes incredibly self reflective. he’s very aware of his strengths as well as his weaknesses and he’s confident just as much as humble in his skillset and character. what you see from Sean is about 10% of his real character. most fighters wont even show you 1% of what they really are

[@Saulgoodman94]

So many ppl making excuses for Izzy but don’t forget before the fight everyone thought he would run thru Sean with ease he wasn’t injured or anything he just simply got out classed congratulations sean man dance champ 👊

[@clipsets215]

Huge Izzy fan but all I have to say is what a performance by Sean! He shocked the world he deserves all the credit!

[@droopyd203]

Ariel are you ok, you might need a safe space to get a handle on your emotions now that izzy has been dethroned by a proud white american

[@bojangles713]

PREACH!👍💪

[@Leon-b5g3j]

Based

[@beejj6190]

Izzy had been flirting with losing his last 7 or so fights! Guy became a near pure point -fighter , who was no longer even enjoying playing with his skills and seemingly more concerned with maintaining his $tatus. Strickland being so physically solid and Izzy offensively inhibiting himself (as he's shown us he does with anyone threatening) simply caught up with him here - as well as not being able to fall back on true 'toughness' as an MMA fighter! Note, when he played his 'alleged rope-a dope' (that wasn't) with Poatan - he was a punch or kick connection away from being beaten AGAIN by Alex in the UFC. He simply was prepared to fire back that time but it was another VERY close call!

[@thomasminarchickjr.7355]

Exactly! He may have “prepared” to counter Alex against the fence if it happened again, but he was a punch or two away from being out. He was swinging for his life. He needs a good win before he deserves a rematch. He got an instant rematch against Alex this year. He doesn’t deserve another one. Dana just hates Sean as a champ

[@Neil-qg9cw]

​@@thomasminarchickjr.7355Plus that possum trick you can only pull off once before everyone knows about it. He tried it on Sean and got dropped for it. It was a sneaky move that was smart but he can't bank on that ever again. Imo Alex would crush him in a rematch.

[@robertowen1648]

It doesn't matter what is going on before a fight. A lot of people ( Ariel, are you paying attention ) are using that as a probable cause for Izzy losing. Every fighter has a lot going on before a fight. Either way, once they step into the octagon the reality is, there's just 2 people facing one another, no one else. Excuses are exactly that an excuse. Izzy was soundly beaten by Sean who put on a master class in outstriking him and Sean's defense was incredible, he wasn't even touched. Amazing. He completely destroyed Adesanya. It angers me how Dana showed zero respect for what Sean did. Unbelievable disrespect.

[@markdyer2574]

Dana has history of being disrespectful to champions that he doesn't want to be champions. Sterling is a recent example.

[@spiderjump]

dana wanted to izzy to fight the white south african guy becos they had beef and that fight would make a boatload of money.

[@abdulhamza172]

Give Sean his credit...Dana ignored the fact that he have a new champ and made it all about making excuses for izzy

[@RemingtonMiles-sr9uf]

That's y'all Uncle.

[@weezenberg]

I kind of feel like Eugene has a problem speaking in the corner. He tries to act like Phil Jackson but Izzy was asking… can I get closer? So strange. Izzy needs a new side coach. Maybe Eugene is good at training but the coaching was missing on Izzy side. Why didn’t Izzy throw? So strange. Eric’s coaching was so helpful so inspiring. Sean is the man! 🇺🇸

[@xxgarrisonxx4397]

I’ve always been a fan of the humble badass. That’s why GSP and Fedor have always been my favourites! Izzy is way to cocky for his own good…because he’s not that good lol Sean might say crazy stuff but he has a respect for the sport and respect for the fans and has a fan friendly fighting style. So happy for Sean, not even a fan of Izzy or Sean but after this Sean has a new fan with me 🤘🏼

[@thp4315]

i think Izzy's performance surprised Sean more than it did anyone.

[@rudey6933]

Izzy showed no signs of being overtrained or burnt out. It’s arguable that at this stage of his career activity is better than not. He looked on … just outclassed. Ufc and the media need to swallow that bitter pill

[@elprimo8208]

There’s just something about the things New York Rick says that bothers me.

[@arturobandini9308]

Because he says stupid things for the sake of being contrarian. Like when they did their mma hour awards of 2016, Ric said the comeback of the year was Ronda Rousey. Just says ridiculous things you can’t take seriously.

[@demetriusshaffer1784]

Talking about Israel having his 4th fight since July mean while this is Sean's 5th since July lol...he got ko by Alex then main evented in Dec. Jan. July and Sept... foh with that activity

[@tristanwanatick4770]

Horrible take from eric, an early ko is so much less impactful than 25 minutes of beating the best striker of all time at his own game

[@plain-bagel]

One thing I've learned from this fight: decisions are apparently better than finishes now 😆

[@Kickboxer95]

It's not about him not finishing Izzy it's how he dominated a unanimous decision victory over one of the greatest to do it

[@javierlandaverde4108]

Regardless of the decision, some people will never accept the result. Had Sean got a TKO and stoppage. People will still go after Sean requesting he can't KO Izzy for a 2nd time. You have Sean winning in points in a huge upset and a dominant performance yet people think it was a fluke. This is what the UFC media is trying to throw you. They are trying to cancel out Sean Strickland and force a rematch. Sean is the champ now so he makes the calls. Izzy is 1-2 in his last 3 fights. He doesn't call the shots anymore since he isn't the champ.

[@BOTTENEGAMING]

Everybody forgets Renan Barao vs TJ Dillashaw, nobody expect TJ to win, also Barao got Knocked down in the 1st round, couldnt recover at all, he said in an interview, this actually migh have happened to Adesanya as well.

[@thothmark]

The Liberty Turtle (Philly Shell) will walk you down and rock you.

[@baricho4771]

Most satisfying result in MMA for a very long time.. Keeping it real all day every day. Well done Sean Strickland.

[@OsoInfinite95]

There's an elephant in the room here. We should consider and ask why after just losing his championship belt and status, the first thing on Izzy's mind was to go over to Sean and say what he did to him. That I believe played a major role in this fight and I wish it was part of the discussion. Not to disparage anyone, but to tell this story in its entirety.

[@YourUpperLip1]

Nah… Izzy just understands that Strickland’s post fight speech would be when the most eyes were on Sean. It comes out as it’s own video, even. Then he’s got everyone in the crowd watching, and everyone watching at home. If Sean started on the dog thing, Izzy wouldn’t be able to respond, and the dog situation becomes viral. That’s also why he raised Strickland’s arm and was super respectful, first was to keep fans because he comes across as humble and respectful. But the second was to be kind to Sean, hoping that he would reciprocate that kindness.

[@Neil-qg9cw]

It was definitely in Izzy's head when he was tweeting about it till 2am a day before the fight. Crazy that MMA Guru got in a Champ's head and he lost the fight

[@bobkristiansen2704]

Only Leon beating Usman made me more happy as a fan and spectator than Sean winning the belt. Truly made my day.

[@reynossa3187]

Media trying to push a narrative that Izzy was “off”. He looked the same as always, Sean was the difference here.

[@YourUpperLip1]

Even though he tried to make excuses for Izzy, nothing will EVER be as bad as Dana after that fight…. He threw out literally every excuse you could think of for why Adesanya lost, and even said “only Izzy knows why, and I can’t wait to hear it” at the press conference. Then Izzy, who clearly didn’t have any pre-written one-liners for if he lost, said nothing and ran away so his coach could defend him.

[@AirLancer]

None of that corny-ass "he who laughs last laughs best" nonsense, lol.

[@Austin.Kilgore]

Ariel was just as bad here

[@YourUpperLip1]

1-2 in his last 3, and 4-3 in his last 7…. He wasn’t “off”, he just got beat. He already got his immediate rematch with Alex, and this was his first defense since getting it back. Time to move on.

[@ricktheruler1665]

If there’s one thing u can take away from Strickland he always wants to win !

[@Beyondthebark1]

I hate that everyone won’t just give Sean the credit for shutting down Izzy’s game plan and completely dominating him the entire fight! Give the man his due CREDIT!🎉 congratulations champ

[@stuartdalrymple]

The fans are giving credit where it’s due. Media puppets feel the need to tow the UFC line because they want to secure interviews with Izzy in future.

[@bosniator]

WE ALL NEED TO SUPPORT STRICKLAND AND BUY THE NEXT UFC PPV EVENT HE IS FIGHTING IN

[@knaconbacon-jn5pm]

Sean Strickland for president he gets my vote

[@MagnusGalactusOG]

I was unsubscribed from most Western MMA for a while dur to stagnation and all the BS. But now all the real men and the real Martial Arts fans can come back and be proud of our sport. Thank God.

[@kennymichaelalanya7134]

Ariel, Izzy had a lot of boring championship fights . He didn't fight Sean like he was going for broke . He fought scared. Not taking anything from Sean but Sean's gameplan was perfect. His style was better than Izzy's

[@clayongunzelle9555]

That snake charm comment by the coach was perfect, that second round looked like Izzy vs canonier and I was worried

[@buckminsterfullerene11]

Of course they were going to side with Strickland. Same exact reason "they" sided with O'Malley in Al's backyard

[@sportsfan_91]

First O'Malley, now Strickland. Covington is getting that belt boys 😂

[@bigcake87]

Sean Strickland talks to the UFC fans of the 90s, and we are all still here.

[@Dave062YT]

It was similar to Chael beating Anderson for 24. 9 minutes without the shock last gasp comeback

[@xavierb9061]

Not even close...would be like if chael did that to khabib in same weight class

[@alexrush4140]

Sean's appearance on the Full Send Podcast made me a fan. I usually cringe when I have tried to watch that pod, but he was genuine af, and I recommend more people watch that

[@adsm6464]

Izzy is an aspirational fighter, playing to the section of fans who appreciate success whether professionally or financially, living the good life because you earned it. Strickland is an inspirational fighter, just a normal guy playing the system, over-achieving through hard work, never assuming success or the attention that comes with it. I think this is probably why the fans get behind Strickland more regardless of some of his views. He's clearly working hard without any noticeable advantages over the rest of the field and takes nothing for granted. Perhaps.....

[@fastbreak0822]

Sean rules....... Earns everything he has ... RESPECT

[@kjws0809]

Izzy got walked like a dog, sean is the new dog in the yard woof🐶🐶

[@dirtynoahsquickreviews6828]

This is what happened. Izzy was embarrassed everybody was laughing at him about giving his dog a red rocket.. He was worried about criminal charges and being canceled.. Izzy was thinking aggressive in the first so Sean settled him down.

[@TheClayDale]

I agree with you. Izzy isn't used to people shying away from him, but I could see people literally ignoring him during the fans weigh in.

[@plyingod]

Izzy doesnt recover well. Once he gets touched its usually curtains. Hes also kind of a front runner.

[@brendonross5774]

Usually curtains? Examples please? Which fights did he fail to recover in?

[@Neil-qg9cw]

​@@brendonross5774Jan, Alex, Sean, and Jason Wilnis in kickboxing. Only time he came back from a defecit was Kelvin and the Alex rematch. Kelvin could have finished him and shot a takedown like a dumbass, and Izzy took PEDs for the Alex rematch and had to use a sneaky possum trick on the cage to win - which would never work again. He tried that on Sean and got dropped.

[@Ajagodkin]

Dude - if Sean had knocked him out it would have been claimed as a lucky shot? What u talking about knockout is king.

[@mikediddy9665]

Stop this bs. The whole world enjoys Sean Strickland and his entertainment value.

[@Chimpiontv]

Such a cope you 🪱, Strickland was just as active and took the fight with a shorter training camp 😭 Can’t admit that Sean exposed Izzy

[@IAlfaDawggI]

I dont understand how they can't see that people are just sick of izzy. He's been pushed down everyone's throats by the ufc and he thinks everything he says is a sound bite.

[@alex__2265]

Izzy loves to draw guys in & counter. Whittaker, Costa, Vettori, Cannonier, Brunson all lunge in. Leave themselves open. Strickland doesn't. He sticks to the basics. He was a legit threat & he was so overlooked because he's a bit insane lol.

[@VeinsnGains]

Adesanya was defeated in 2021, 2022 and 2023, he was never as dominator as Ariel or the UFC advertise him. A direct rematch is complete nonsense. Adesanya recently had a rematch after a defeat, how many extra chances does he have to get? I hope Strickland ok's him in the next fight and shuts up that embarrassing clown.

[@ttot20]

Ariel makes a great point about greatness with the baseball analogy. The thing is if Izzy was as “great” as he’s proclaimed to be he would be more like Volkanovski, whom beat the other Goat of the division Holloway whom no one else can beat 3 times. Adesanya just isn’t on that level. And he’s now 1-2 in his last three fights.

[@deathbybears]

Adesanya is great, he just got beat by another guy who is also great.

[@talon3684]

Impressive by Sean. Just did his thing, stayed measured, foot on the gas, applied pressure throughout on the offense, had great, great defense - kudos all day to Strickland. Deserved every bit of the victory and humbled the champ the entire fight. Completely agreed on the 49-46. Dominant and clean. Strickland vs DDP or Strickland vs the winner of Paulo vs Chimaev. It'd be nice to see before the year ends if possible.

[@alex__2265]

Ppl (mainly talking about the commentary team) gotta stop talking about how "nervous" guys look. They said the same thing about O'Malley during his walk vs Aljo. They're focused. They're ready for war. Just cause they aren't dancing & smiling doesn't mean they're nervous.

[@Austin.Kilgore]

30:37 Strickland is 5-2 in his last 7 and Izzy is 4-3 in his last 7… (Sean would be 9-3 in last 12 before we get to his last 3 losses)

[@SinkMMA]

In all seriousness, i don't think Helwani would qualify as an analyst for KZbin boxing. Shoutout to GC and NY Ric for being the voice of reason. I laughed when GC had to correct Helwani on Strickland having more recent activity than Izzy

[@staceym5677]

Izzy beat costa on wine night Arguably lost to Yoel Romero while only throwing leg kicks Arguably lost to Robert Whittaker in the second fight Terrible performance against Jared no big shots thrown Gets KOd Then regains the belt Then strickland dog walks him

[@yearzero7025]

Izzy is 4-3 in his last 7. He wouldn’t even be invited to the contender series with that record.

[@Ignitionite]

I'm only 15 minutes in, but he is absolutely right about why people like Sean. Not everybody, but I know I've been won over. Catching Sean Strickland interviews with The Schmo or Helen or Nina used to be a guilty pleasure. Now, I just realise I like Sean, he's almost wholesome when he isn't being offensive. (Ok, the Nina interviews are still a guilty pleasure! 🤤)

[@dschoenfeld9277]

Ariel, are you saying that DDP should’ve taken the fight because Strickland made it look easy? Come on man! Styles and fighters make fight and Izzy was a deer in the headlights. 😂

[@Ajagodkin]

And THE CONTENT COMING OUT SINCE THEN, I cant stop watching all of you. Just pure dopamine

[@anasshahid224]

So happy for Sean Strickland! He had a masterclass performance, what a win 👏👏👏👏

[@activeunsub]

This was a good one boys. There was a lot less negativity like the reactions to Dana & going after DDP, Hill, etc.

[@erickbolden2584]

Look at Ariel making all the excuses in the world for Izzy. Eugene in the post fight conference said Izzy had a great camp and was extremely focused on the fight. Just didn’t show up. Give Sean and his team all the flowers for a great fight.

[@JOEMARLEY]

Sean put it all on the line unlike Yoel,jarred,Marvin or Paulo

[@JamieandAprilGray]

Sean had 5 fights now in the last year. You mention Izzy had been busy with this being his 4th fight in last year

[@s1Lence_au]

29:24 that's what he did in R1 at the end, he baited a shot against the fence and planted himself to counter like he did against Alex and Rob to finish them but Sean got his shot off faster.

[@Neil-qg9cw]

You can only pull a trick like that off once before it becomes predictable, and Izzy paid for it massively.

[@roderickvwenner6807]

Idk dude. Should Izzy’s activity be put into the equation when Sean fought 3 time between his pereira fight and the Izzy fight. Not sure if it should be considered when you can argue that both fighters are very active, and both got finished within that activity

[@goodfellas1001]

Yep Sean had more excuses. Horrible weight cut and short notice. If he would have lost no one would give him infinite excuses....

[@mrmolloy]

If a fighter gets 30% better after winning a championship, I am fascinated to see Sean defend his title. A confident Sean will be fascinating and I reckon he will take the rematch to make the most PPV bank possible and therefore solidify his title. The UFC and Sean want big paydays so they will 100% go for it. I would prefer the division to move on Sean just realised he was more manly and could be a better hammer than Izzy so he went for it. Such an impressive win but he needs a defence to solidify it.

[@gofigure_1]

MMA HOLES For the best in everything ufc, and live coverage of all fights on KZbin. Wonderful Wonderful

[@Ajagodkin]

Didnt even breathe hard

[@yankeesman1198]

Sean may as well run for president now and he’s voted in and does the better job then what we have in America ….

[@TrggrWarning]

Sean “the ambassador” Strickland

[@THE-CHAMPION-HAS-A-NAME]

Anderson Silva's reign as champion was just way more impressive. The only reason he ever went downhill is because of that leg break. Not saying izzy reign wasn't amazing but honestly I thought he lost the ramero fight and the second Whittaker fight. So if that actually happened like it was supposed to all you really got is his knockouts vs Costa and the first Bobby knuckles fight. His reign before he was champion was much more impressive. He couldn't even get a second title against the one person at 205 everyone thought he could beat.

[@1spankit]

SO YOU'RE SAYING,At the end of the day, the ufc is at fault for Sean winning