Let us remember that Strickland defeated Adesanya by unanimous decision and became the champion in the promotion’s middle division.
“Sean did something that most people thought he wasn’t capable of doing. I talked to him, and the way he talked about his life, about his path in life... He opened up to me from the other side, the guy had never been loved, and he found his love in the hall. And he took advantage of all the negativity that ruled his life in his youth to become a UFC champion.
All this allowed Sean to do the unthinkable. People didn't believe in his victory, and I'll be honest with you, I didn't either. I don’t make predictions for fights, but if you asked me whether Strickland would win, I would answer that there is no chance,” Cormier said in a release on his YouTube channel.