Does Strickland really belive he can win ?

[Your Account]

Is all he was saying in those embeded videos just an act in a way , and infact he expects to be KOd in his attempts to hit Izy ?

 

[Bork Neslar]

He CAN win. He won't but he can.

 

[jko1355]

Ummm.... yes. He thinks he can win...

 

[liljuey]

I think so. If you go into a fight not expecting to win, then fighting isn't for you. I get the notion of "well at least he's getting paid", but every fighter should be looking to get that win bonus and not beat up in front of an audience.

 

[Captain_Dammitt]

I think he thinks he can win. Both him and Izzy are talking about the Bisping/Rockhold fight so they both know an upset can happen. That being said, they both know that if Sean wins it will be an upset. I do think Sean thinks he can win but I do not know if he thinks he WILL win.

 

[Ares Black]

He doesn't seem particularly convinced.

 

[Exarch01]

It wouldn't even be the biggest upset this year.

 

[Domitian]

Hm I don't know. It does look fishy he didn't want this fight unless he got a bigger payday. There's nothing wrong with that per se but if he had confidence he'd win it shouldn't have been a big deal for a title shot. I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt though.

 

[Reign009]

Sean:

Basically he knows his chances aren't good, but that there's still a chance.

There's an internal struggle going on with Sean, he's constantly fighting the urge to "write himself off" here.

 

[Filter909]

I might go as far as to say it shouldn't even be sanctioned IF he were to not believe he has a fighter's chance.

 

[Kowboy Karl]

Never seen a fighter more shook

 

[JarlSkuld]

He's a massive underdog...but it is a fight, so anything can happen.

Jarl

 

[AmonTobin]

"I'm ready to lose brain cells for you guys!" Sean Strickland

 

[killakillakilla]

No lol I don’t think so. He just hopes it’s entertaining

 

[mjoln]

Yes. Why would you work hard if it is useless?
Train body and mind will follow.

 

[Fedora Millionankles]

Is all he was saying in those embeded videos just an act in a way , and infact he expects to be KOd in his attempts to hit Izy ?

Ask him, dummy, not some rando’s on a Karate forum.

 

[Quietus]

Everyone has a chance to win every fight. However i'll admit by his body language at the presser and faceoffs he is just acting like he's happy to be here, and taking the media tour as his "win" knowing he's going to lose the fight. He even said some offhand comment on embedded before walking into the presser, "time to be famous for a day" implying he knows he will get a lot of traction for talking shit but then it will all go away when Izzy wins the next day.

Some have compared the vibe of this fight to Bisping vs Rockhold 2 where the underdog triumphs but if you go rewatch the buildup there, even though it was short notice Bisping had complete faith and confidence in himself, Sean not so much, he's talking like he's just happy to be going on an international big stage and raising his profile, and doesn't care if he wins or loses.

 

[Benoitthegr8]

32 fights as a pro, Sean’s been KO’d and outclassed before, he knows the chips are stacked against him. But, I think it all depends on how Izzy goes about the fight. If Adesanya goes about it in safe cruise to the win by point fighting, Sean will know he’s likely going to be in it until the end, thus giving a veteran plenty of time to attempt to figure Izzy out. IMO Adesanya should be measured for about a round and a half, then go Aggro, I doubt Strickland can end Izzy in one shot… IMO Sean is a kill by 1000 paper cuts kinda fighter, safe enough to really test the waters for a striker of Adesanya’s skill level.

 

[ComfortablyNumb55]

Sean doesn't have the power to even keep Izzy honest.

This could get ugly.

 

[Tweak896]

Everyone THINKS they can win. It's a fight so even if you big guys were to fight Izzy on sherdog there's a 0.001% chance Izzy would dip his head into your uppercut or something and you'd beat him. But in the cage once it gets going, the challenger looks for openings and starts to get countered each time in, you'll see a different demeanor. They will sit back and not want to try and get inside anymore and you get a point fight. That's usually when they have given up, when their bag of tricks doesn't work at all.