Combat Sports

PREVIEW: UFC 293

Israel Adesanya faces off against Sean Strickland in Sydney in the main event at UFC 293. Josh Gaillard preveiws the rest of the card here.

by
Joshua Gaillard
September 8, 2023

Israel Adesanya faces off against Sean Strickland in Sydney in the main event at UFC 293. Josh Gaillard preveiws the rest of the card here.

Two women looking excitedly at cellphone

Main Event

Israel Adesanya 2/15 | Sean Strickland 4/1

One of the greatest UFC fighters of all time, the only two-time champion in middleweight history, Israel Adesanya, battles it out with one of very few fighters he has yet to face in the division, a man with “a screw loose”, no. 5 ranked Sean Strickland.

If there was ever a fighter who embodies their nickname, it’s “The Last Style Bender”, Israel Adesanya (24-2-0). He brings a flare to the cage that most can’t deal with. Just five months ago the 34-year-old overcame his career’s toughest test by knocking out Alex Pereira in the second round to reclaim the title.

The Nigerian-born New Zealander has defeated six of the current top 15 ranked fighters, including two wins over Marvin Vettori and former champion Robert Whittaker.

Sean Strickland (27-5) faces a short-notice title fight against Adesanya. No. 1 ranked Dricus Du Plessis reportedly backed out of his UFC 293 clash against Israel Adesanya due to a foot injury, paving the way for Strickland to step up for a bid at middleweight gold.

The 32-year-old suffered consecutive defeats against Alex Pereira and Jared Cannonier but bounced back convincingly with a win over Nassourdine Imavov and a brutal beatdown of Abus Magomedev just one month ago.

Verdict: Israel Adesanya Win 2/15

Sean Strickland is a fun fighter to watch! A man of the people on the mic, and when it comes down to being locked in the cage, he bites down on the mouthpiece and throws leather in bunches.

However, Israel Adesanya has a habit of making easy work of such fighters. With all due respect to the mixed martial artists, the knockout victory is imminent – and still!

Co-Main Event

Tai Tuivasa 7/4 | Alexander Volkov 39/100

The co-main event of UFC 293 sees Western Sydney’s hometown brawler, “Bam Bam” Tai Tuivasa throws down in a heavyweight matchup against veteran Alexander Volkov.

As much as he is a fan favourite, the reality for Tai Tuivasa (15-5) is two previous homecoming fights didn’t go his way. The 30-year-old couldn’t escape the second round as Sergei Spivak submitted him, and Junior Dos Santos stopped him. Although he rebounded with a four-fight win streak, recent losses to Ciryl Gane and Sergei Pavlovich were conclusive enough to rightfully lower our expectations.

Alexader Volkov (36-10) standing 6-foot-7 tall with an 80-inch reach, is a refined striker with a strong track record against elite opponents. While Volkov’s time is not in his favour to ever be crowned champion, the 34-year-old has a great track record, with losses only coming against the top tier of the division. Volkov showcased his skills with a pair of first-round KO wins in his last two bouts against Jairinzho Rozenstruik and Alexander Romanov.

Verdict: Alexander Volkov Win 39/100

Don’t discount Western Sydney’s very own, as Tai Tuivasa has the power to shut out the lights of a huge majority of men – if not all. But a cut-and-paste fight is on the horizon as “Bam Bam’s” power meets the upper echelon of technical striking in Alexander Volkov.

If Tai is not able to counter or nullify the boy kicks of Volkov, he will fall in a similar fashion to his TKO loss to Gane.