UFC 293 is just a few days away, marking the UFC’s return to Australia. This event will be headlined by Israel Adesanya and Sean Strickland, scheduled for September 9th in Sydney. Strickland earned his title shot when Dricus Du Plessis had to withdraw due to a foot injury.
DDP had become the number-one title contender with a dominant victory over former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker. However, Israel Adesanya and Sean Strickland are now set to face off, and their rivalry is clear as they have clashed and don’t appear to be on friendly terms. Fans are eagerly anticipating the press conference, which is sure to be filled with fireworks.
Adesanya aims for dominant win against Strickland
The Last Stylebender” is a favorite heading into the bout with Sean Strickland at UFC 293. Adesanya is determined to secure a dominant victory. In his recent interviews with outlets such as MMA Junkie, MMA Fighting, and Submission Radio, the reigning middleweight champion has made it clear that his intention is to silence Strickland once and for all.
Strickland is presently ranked as the 5th best fighter in the middleweight division. Circumstances have favored his short-notice title shot, considering that Izzy has already defeated the top contenders in the middleweight division, with the exception of Dricus Du Plessis and Strickland himself.
The title challenger has been quite active in 2023, headlining fight night cards on January 14th and July 1st against rising contenders Nassourdine Imavov and Abus Magemedov, respectively.
The intense animosity between “The Last Stylebender” and “Tarzan” is evident in the pre-fight press conference for UFC 276. Adesanya and Strickland were initially scheduled to fight Jared Cannonier and Alex Periera, respectively, but they wasted no time in confronting each other.
UFC 293 features a relatively shallow card, with only the main event and co-main event, which is between Tai Tuivasa and Alexander Volkov, holding significant importance for mixed martial arts fans.
Israel Adesanya aims for his sixth title defense at UFC 293
UFC 293 will mark the Nigerian fighter’s first title defense in his second reign as the middleweight champion. After winning the interim middleweight title against Kelvin Gastelum in the co-main event of UFC 236, he unified the title by defeating Robert Whitaker at UFC 243 in Sydney, Australia. This was followed by consecutive title defenses against Yoel Romero and Paolo Costa at UFC 248 and UFC 253, respectively
An ambitious move to win the light heavyweight title was thwarted by Jan Blachowicz at UFC 259. This marked Adesanya’s first professional loss. However, he rebounded with three successful title defenses at middleweight against Marvin Vettori, Robert Whitaker, and Jared Cannonier.
Adesanya’s first defeat at middleweight came at the hands of Alex Periera, a Brazilian fighter who had previously defeated Izzy twice at GLORY Kickboxing before their encounter at UFC 281. Following his loss to Periera, Adesanya demanded an immediate rematch, which he secured at UFC 287.
Afterward, the promotion arranged a number-one contender fight between Dricus Du Plessis and Robert Whitaker at UFC 290. In an upset victory, according to bettors’ expectations, the South African TKOed “Reaper” in the second round. The upcoming fight at UFC 293 will be Adesanya’s 6th title defense when counting both of his reigns.
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