Sean Strickland and Israel Adesanya (right)(image via UFC/YouTube)

By Kelsey Mowatt

Dana White has lots of questions about Israel Adesanya’s performance at UFC 293 on Saturday. So much so, he wants the now-former champ to immediately run it back with Sean Strickland.

Adesanya faced Strickland in the headliner of the Sydney, Australia card, and the middleweight was a massive favorite to win the bout. Adesanya struggled to deal with Strickland’s pressure from the get-go, however, and was bested in most of the fight’s exchanges. In round one, Strickland dropped Adesanya with a right hand and nearly finished the bout.

Following the fight, which saw Strickland take the middleweight title via unanimous decision, White questioned what may have led to Adesanya’s surprising performance (quote via MMA Junkie.com).

“There are a million things that could go wrong. Some days you wake up and you’re just not there, man. It’s just not there. He looked bone-dry tonight, standing up really tall. He looked very slow. He looked like he couldn’t get off at all. Even in the fifth round when everybody knew he needed a knockout to win the fight, there was no sense of urgency to try to finish the fight. So I don’t know if he’s hurt or if tonight’s the night.”

White was asked about the possibility of booking an immediate rematch between Adesanya and Strickland, and the UFC President didn’t hesitate in saying he wants to see it happen.

“I think you do the rematch, absolutely,” White said. “The rematch is interesting. That could be the thing, too. When you think about you’re going into the Pereira fight, such a big fight, and you’ve been in there with this guy so many times, and then you overlook Strickland. You come in and I don’t know. I don’t know the answers to these questions, but Israel does, and I’m looking forward to hearing it.”

Adesanya (24-3) was given an immediate rematch with Alex Pereira after he was knocked out by the decorated kickboxer last November. The Nigerian-born fighter reclaimed the title in April by finishing Pereira.

Strickland (28-5) was awarded a title shot after recording consecutive victories over Nassourdine Imavov and Abusupiyan Magomedov. Those wins followed the American’s back-to-back losses to Pereira and Jared Cannonier.