Sean Strickland upsets Israel Adesanya to take middleweight belt at UFC 293

SYDNEY (AP) — American Sean Strickland surprised Nigerian-born New Zealander Israel Adesanya to take the middleweight title by unanimous choice in the primary occasion of UFC 293, the primary UFC occasion in Australia’s largest metropolis in six years.

The 32-year-old Strickland (28-5), who brought about a stir within the lead-up to the combat with sexist and misogynistic feedback at a press convention selling the bout, received a five-round choice with all three judges scoring it 49-46.

“Am I dreaming? Am I going to get up? Somebody hit me. … I don’t cry a lot however I’m making an attempt to maintain it collectively proper now,” an emotional Strickland mentioned instantly after the bout. “I surrender so many mind cells to the MMA gods… I believed I’d be strolling away slightly bloody, slightly damaged up. I’m slightly shocked that didn’t occur.”

Backed by robust vocal assist at Qudos Financial institution Enviornment, Adesanya (24-3) was a transparent favourite to subdue his controversial American opponent and retain the title he won from Alex Pereira at UFC 281 in April.

However the 32-year-old Strickland’s defensive, counterattacking fashion was brutally efficient with the American touchdown the extra telling pictures all through the combat with Adesanya struggling to discover a approach to damage Strickland.

After a affected person begin by each fighters which noticed Adesanya probing Strickland’s uncommon defensive fashion, it was the American that discovered the primary telling strike with a clear straight shot that felled Adesanya. Strickland shortly moved in on the 34-year-old New Zealander’s again with a flurry of strikes to shut out the primary spherical within the American’s favor.

Adesanya was the extra assertive within the second and third rounds, discovering his vary together with his kicks and right-hand pictures however continued to depart himself open for Strickland to strike at his physique and head.

The ultimate rounds noticed Adesanya transfer extra into his shell because the New Zealander struggled to make any imprint on the American’s protection. Strickland sensed the chance to go after the champion and a flurry of punches and kicks within the ultimate minute helped guarantee the choice and the middleweight title.

“You don’t combat that man with that many highlight-reel knockouts,” Strickland mentioned about Adesanya. “He’s beat — the vast majority of my pals, he’s beat fairly simply. I used to be even form of doubting myself at occasions.”

“However I’ve acquired to say, the followers in Australia, you guys motivated me. After I’m strolling in right here and I heard you guys yelling. In that fourth spherical I heard you guys yelling. It fueled me.”

The UFC combat made information within the New South Wales state legislature, where the leading government lawmaker was forced to defend his state’s payment of about $10 million to assist make sure the UFC occasion got here to Sydney, for the primary time since 2017, after Strickland made sexist and misogynistic feedback throughout a media convention this week, echoing feedback he’s made beforehand.

Within the co-main occasion, Alexander Volkov (37-10) received his heavyweight bout by submission within the second spherical in opposition to 30-year-old Sydney-born Tai Tuivasa.

The 34-year-old Russian dominated the combat regardless of an harm to his entrance leg which Tuivasa had focused earlier within the spherical, with a lopsided strike depend as he landed hit after hit on the Australian earlier than trapping him in a choke maintain which pressured Tuivasa to faucet out.

Australian Tyson Pedro opened the primary card knocking out Sweden’s Anton Turkalj within the first spherical, earlier than New Zealander Justin Tafa did the identical to American Austen Lane in a heavyweight bout and Manel Kape beat Felipe dos Santos by a five-round unanimous choice in an entertaining flyweight match.