Sean Strickland shocked the world and pulled off the unthinkable by upsetting Israel Adesanya with a dominant unanimous decision victory to become the new middleweight champion in the main event of UFC 293 at the Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia.
Rivaling Matt Serra's upset of Georges St-Pierre, Holly Holm stunning Ronda Rousey and Julianna Pena submitting Amanda Nunes, Strickland's beating Adesanya will be talked about for years. It wasn't just Strickland winning, it was how Strickland won as he outstruck Adesanya -- widely recognized as the best striker in MMA -- over the course of 25 minutes to take a title few ever saw him holding in the UFC.
Strickland applied pressure from the outset and stayed in Adesanya's face from the opening bell with a disciplined attack. He never left himself over and kept a steady pace with a strong jab and a right hand. Adesanya tried to create openings with feints but Strickland refused to take the bait as he plowed forward undeterred.
The tone was truly set in the second round when Strickland dropped Adesanya with a right hand and unloaded a series of right hands until the round came to an end. From that point, it was all Strickland as he swept the final three rounds and prevented Adesanya from mounting anything substantial.
Adesanya was originally set to face Dricus Du Plessis but with Du Plessis unavailable and options limited, the UFC turned to Strickland to ensure that Adesanya would headline UFC 293 in Australia.
It turned out to be a horrible idea.
"The Last Stylebender" had no answers for Strickland, who came into the fight riding a modest two-fight winning streak. Adesanya was on his second reign as champion after a devastating knockout of Alex Pereira in April.
But this reign ended faster than his last one as the massive underdog with a penchant for controversy is now the UFC champion.
Here's how it all went down in Sydney.
UFC 293 results, highlights
Sean Strickland stuns Israel Adesanya for UFC middleweight title
Result: Sean Strickland def. Israel Adesanya via unanimous decision with scores of 49-46, 49-46 & 49-46
Round Five: Head kick and body kick from Adesanya. Adesanya is trying to ramp up the activity but he simply can't find Strickland. Not a lot happening as Adesanya continues to circle with his back against the cage. Right hand from Adesanya. Strickland hasn't been in any danger yet. More pressure from Strickland. Right hand lands from Strickland wobbles Adesanya. One minute left. Adesanya looks like he's worn out. Strickland continues to advance. Strickland is now talking to Adesanya with ten seconds left. The fight ends and we should have a new champion!
SN Unofficial Scorecard: 10-9 Strickland (49-46)
Round Four: Head kick barely misses from Adesanya. Left hook from Strickland lands and he comes rumbling forward with a combination. Adesanya lands a right hand but he's looking out of sync. Strickland's jab is routinely finding its mark. Short left hook lands for Adesanya. Strickland sits down on a combination as Adesanya covers up. Right cuts through by Adesanya. Another jab by Strickland. Right hand from Adesanya lands but Strickland is unbothered. Adesanya may need a knockout to win.
SN Unofficial Scorecard: 10-9 Strickland (39-37 Strickland)
Round Three: Adesanya's movement continues to have Strickland stuck. But Strickland is playing it smart and not throwing caution to the wind. Adesanya working a long jab and going to the body. Big head kick misses from Adesanya. Not a lot landing for either but Adesanya is more active. Strickland will need to do something to steal the round. Strickland misses a right hand. Combination lands for Strickland. Hard jab from Strickland. They exchange hooks. Overhand right from Adesanya. Good jab from Strickland again. Close round that may go to Strickland.
SN Unofficial Scorecard: 10-9 Strickland (29-28 Strickland)
Round Two: Adesanya has a sense of urgency to start round two but Strickland continues to press forward. Adesanya sticking and moving. Adesanya's activity is picking up. Big right hand by Adesanya. Leg kicks from Adesanya as Strickland continues to follow him around. Body shot from Adesanya. Another big right hand from Adesanya. He's getting comfortable and in striking range. Much better round for Adesanya.
SN Unofficial Scorecard: 10-9 Adesanya (19-19)
Round One: Adesanya opens up looking for his range with kicks. Strickland moving forward to apply pressure. A lot of feints and fakes from Adesanya. Strickland can't find Adesanya and just keeps moving forward. Leg kick by Adesanya. Strickland barely misses a right hand. Strickland struggling to get anything going as Adesanya looks comfortable giving Strickland different looks. A right hand lands from Strickland. Strickland lands a right hand sand drops Adesanya! Adesanya gets to his feet but Strickland wails away at him until the round ends. Wow!
SN Unofficial Scorecard: 10-9 Strickland
11:46 p.m. ET: The main event is up next as Israel Adesanya defends his title against Sean Strickland. Adesanya is a huge favorite but there have been plenty of upsets in the past year. Can Strickland pull off the unthinkable or will "The Last Stylebender" continue his pursuit of greatness? Round by round coverage from here on out!
Alexander Volkov submits Tai Tuivasa with rare ezekial Choke
11:41 p.m. ET: Alexander Volkov picked up his third consecutive victory with a second-round submission of Tai Tuivasa. After dissecting Tuivasa with pinpoint striking in the first round and avoiding the big punch, Volkov found his lead leg getting chewed up by the leg kicks from "Bam Bam." Volkov decided to switch gears and managed to get the fight to the canvas. After a couple of attempts at an arm triangle, Volkov mounted Tuivasa and sank in an ezekiel choke to get the submission. An impressive win that puts Volkov closer to a title opportunity.
11:18 p.m. ET: The co-main event is up next as #6 ranked Tai Tuivasa hopes to get back to his winning ways against #7 ranked Alexander Volkov. Tuivasa has dropped back-to-back fights by knockout while Volkov has won two in a row with first round knockouts. It's unlikely that this will go the distance.
Manel Kape takes decision over Felipe dos Santos in action-packed bout
11:15 p.m. ET: Manel Kape turned back the challenge of Felipe dos Santos in a battle that will undoubtedly be on the shortlist for a performance of the night bonus. Kape and dos Santos engaged in a mostly standup affair where each exchanged strikes. But Kape landed the cleaner counterstrikes and rocked dos Santos on several occasions. But the fight was both fast and furious with Kape giving respect to the late replacement. If nothing else, Felipe dos Santos has made his presence felt in the flyweight division. He ate some punches that other flyweights would have crumbled from and gave back equally blistering punches and kicks. He's one to watch moving forward.
10:43 p.m. ET: Flyweights are up next as Manel Kape faces Felipe dos Santos. Kape was originally supposed to face Kai Kara-France but a concussion prevented Kara-France from competing. In his place will be dos Santos. Can he pull off the upset?
Justin Tafa crushes Austen Lane in first round
10:41 p.m. ET: Justin Tafa got the job done in the rematch and destroyed Austen Lane in under 90 seconds. A big left hook dropped Lane as Tafa followed with some wicked ground and pound to get the stoppage. The hometown crowd is pleased.
10:31 p.m. ET: Next up, Justin Tafa and Austen Lane will have a rematch of their June fight that ended in a No Contest due to an accidental eye poke.
Tyson Pedro obliterates Anton Turkalj in one round
10:27 p.m. ET: It didn't take long for Tyson Pedro to impose his will on Anton Turkalj in his backyard. With a right hand that couldn't miss and a crowd that had his back from the opening bell, Pedro steamrolled Turkalj to get the first-round stoppage.
10:03 p.m. ET: Hello everyone, and welcome to The Sporting News' live coverage of UFC 293. We're kicking things off in the light heavyweight division as Tyson Pedro and Anton Turkalj do battle.
MORE: How to bet UFC 293: Israel Adesanya vs. Sean Strickland
UFC 293 results
Main card
- Sean Strickland def. Israel Adesanya via unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46 & 49-46)for the UFC middleweight title
- Alexander Volkov def. Tai Tuivasa via 2nd round submission (ezekial choke) (4:37)
- Manel Kape def. Felipe dos Santos via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28 & 29-28)
- Justin Tafa def. Austen Lane via 1st round TKO (1:22)
- Tyson Pedro def. Anton Turkalj via 1st round KO (2:12)
Prelims
- Carlos Ulberg def. Jung Da-un via 3rd round submission (rear-naked choke) (4:49)
- Jamie Mullarkey def. John Makdessi via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28 & 29-28)
- Chepe Mariscal def. Jack Jenkins via 2nd round submission (arm injury) (3:19)
- Nasrat Haqparast def. Landon Quinones via unanimous decision (30-28, 30-27 & 30-27)
Early Prelims
- Charles Radtke def. Mike Mathetha via unanimous decision (29-27, 29-27 & 29-27)
- Gabriel Miranda def. Shane Young via 1st round submission (rear-naked choke) (:59)
- Kevin Jousset def. Kiefer Crosbie via 1st round submission (rear-naked choke) (4:49)
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