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| UFC 297 |
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Joe Rogan, the color commentator for UFC 297, may not be involved in the main event tomorrow night (Sat. Jan. 20, 2024) at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Still, he is a big supporter of middleweight champion Sean Strickland. The month of July 2023 saw Strickland appear on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast, just before he defeated Israel Adesanya and assumed the title.
Much of the MMA industry was taken aback by Strickland's upset over "Stylebender," as Adesanya was well favored and had just dramatically reclaimed his title. Many wondered in the immediate aftermath if Adesanya had a problem if he was battling too much or had somehow missed Strickland.
That theory has no merit, in Rogan's opinion. Rather, he believes the performance was merely Strickland's ability on display.
Rogan said, "I was very impressed," on a recent podcast (via Josh Evanoff). He's a huge person, and he tends to be conceited and arrogant. Or disrespecting your opponent, and I'm not sure whether that's what occurred with Adesanya and Strickland (Israel). Simply put, I genuinely believe Strickland is that brilliant.
How the South African will perform throughout five rounds is a major concern ahead of his maiden championship defense against "Stillknocks." He hasn't progressed above the third level inside the Octagon, and even if getting his nose repaired is supposed to help with his conditioning, we've seen him become tired before.
Conversely, Strickland has a remarkable speed. According to Rogan, Strickland's ability to throw volume at an exceptional pace stems from the massive quantities of sparring he does while training. This allows him to never get tired.
Rogan carried on, saying, "He never gets tired. I look forward to seeing who wins. One of Strickland's most remarkable bouts, in my opinion, was the one with Abus Magomedov. Abus emerges from the opening round like a hell beast. However, he just ran out of petrol and did so after the first round. Abus was hitting Sean with f—king fire, and I believe that was because he was so accustomed to putting men out that he believed he could simply put it on him. That guy is a nice man, but Sean completely ruined him.
He never becomes weary. After praising Sean Strickland, Joe Rogan concluded. When your opponent is as skilled at sparring as Sean is. Sean spars a lot—a lot of it—and he does it with intensity. Because he is so used to it, it truly is always a struggle.