Israel Adesanya defends his middleweight title against Sean Strickland in the main event of UFC 293 tonight.
Adesanya regained the title in April by knocking out his old kickboxing rival Alex Pereira, five months after the Brazilian took the belt from Adesanya. The Nigerian-New Zealander will look to get his second run as champion off to a good start tonight, as he fights Strickland in Sydney.
While Adesanya, 34, has proven divisive among fans, American Strickland has courted greater controversy in recent years. The 32-year-old claimed in 2021 that he would like to ‘kill’ an opponent in the ring one day, but it has not stopped him from getting the greater share of cheers in Australia this week.
While he will be the apparent fan favourite at UFC 293, Adesanya is the betting favourite, with his counter-striking expected to be too slick for the game but limited Strickland.
Follow live updates from the UFC 293 main event and under card, below.
UFC 293 LIVE
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Israel Adesanya defends middleweight title against Sean Strickland
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Title fight headlines UFC 293 in Sydney, Australia
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Adesanya became two-time champion with KO of Alex Pereira in April
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Pereira had taken belt from Adesanya with TKO in November
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Strickland is on two-fight win streak after his own KO loss to Pereira last year
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Justin Tafa def. Austen Lane via TKO (punches, 1:22)
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Tyson Pedro def. Anton Turkalj via first-round KO (2:12)
UFC 293 LIVE: Justin Tafa vs Austen Lane
03:41 , Alex Pattle
Round 1
Almost immediately we have a low blow – and potential eye poke – from Lane. There’s a brief pause in the action, before we get back under way.
Lane is orthodox; Tafa stands southpaw.
Lane with a jab, while Tafa responds with a counter lead hook. Lane just misses the mark with a head kick and slips.
Again Tafa lands a counter hook off his right wing, then BOOM!! A left hook drops Lane!!
Tafa with a few follow-up punches as Lane lies prone on the mat, and the referee waves it off!
Justin Tafa def. Austen Lane via TKO (punches, 1:22)
UFC 293 LIVE
03:36 , Alex Pattle
Next up, heavyweight action! New Zealand’s Justin Tafa takes on America’s Austen Lane.
Here we go…
UFC 293 LIVE: Tyson Pedro vs Anton Turkalj
03:27 , Alex Pattle
Round 1
Turkalj starts on the front foot, standing orthodox, pressing forward and firing off intermittent leg kicks.
Pedro is also orthodox. He leans back to avoid a front kick attempt, then throws his own low kick.
Turkalj parries a series of jab feints, but Pedro beats the guard with a clean one-two! More straight shots, and Turkalj is on wobbly legs!!
He manages to stay cognisant for a brief spell, but he eats a hard body kick, before another cross drops him!!
One hammer fist by Pedro and Turkalj is OUT! It’s all over in Round 1, and a huge cheer erupts in the arena!
Tyson Pedro def. Anton Turkalj via first-round KO (punches, 2:12)
UFC 293 LIVE
03:19 , Alex Pattle
Good reception for Pedro, as you’d expect, as the Australian makes his entrance in Sydney.
UFC 293 LIVE
03:18 , Alex Pattle
Here we go, the main card begins at light-heavyweight, with home fighter Tyson Pedro facing Anton Turkalj of Sweden!
UFC 293 LIVE
03:16 , Alex Pattle
Meanwhile, Strickland suffered a knockout loss to Pereira in the first round last July, but he has since bounced back by outpointing Nassourdine Imavov, in January, and knocking out Abus Magomedov, this July.
UFC 293 LIVE
03:15 , Alex Pattle
Adesanya’s second UFC title win saw him avenge his defeat by Pereira from November, when the Brazilian beat the “Last Stylebender” via TKO:
Alex Pereira ends Israel Adesanya’s title reign with comeback TKO at UFC 281
UFC 293 LIVE
03:13 , Alex Pattle
While we wait for the first fight of the main card to start, here’s a look back at Adesanya’s last fight, when he regained the middleweight title from old foe Alex Pereira – in stunning fashion, no less…
Israel Adesanya gains revenge over Alex Pereira with stunning knockout at UFC 287
UFC 293 LIVE
03:09 , Alex Pattle
Here’s how the main card looks:
Israel Adesanya (C) vs Sean Strickland (middleweight title)
Tai Tuivasa vs Alexander Volkov (heavyweight)
Manel Kape vs Felipe dos Santos (flyweight)
Justin Tafa vs Austen Lane (heavyweight)
Tyson Pedro vs Anton Turkalj (light-heavyweight)
UFC 293 LIVE
03:07 , Alex Pattle
Prelim results:
Carlos Ulberg def. Da Un Jung via third-round submission (rear naked choke, 4:49)
Chepe Mariscal def. Jack Jenkins via second-round TKO (elbow injury, 3:19)
Jamie Mullarkey def. John Makdessi via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Nasrat Haqparast def. Landon Quinones via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Charlie Radtke def. Blood Diamond via unanimous decision (29-27, 29-27, 29-27)
Gabriel Miranda def. Shane Young via first-round submission (rear naked choke, 0:59)
Kevin Jousset def. Kiefer Crosbie via first-round submission (rear naked choke, 4:49)
UFC 293 LIVE
03:00 , Alex Pattle
The main card is upon us!
UFC 293 LIVE
02:45 , Alex Pattle
T-minus 15 minutes until the UFC 293 main card begins!
We’ll have round-by-round live updates for you then, as well as a round-up of all the prelim results so far.
So, stay tuned!
UFC 293 LIVE
02:30 , Alex Pattle
Where does Israel Adesanya rank in the Indy Sport pound-for-pound list?
Find out here…
The Independent’s pound-for-pound UFC rankings
UFC 293 LIVE
02:15 , Alex Pattle
Earlier this week, Jared Cannonier was revealed as the back-up fighter for tonight’s main event.
Barring any very late injuries or such, the American should not be needed.
That said, Robert Whittaker was forced out of a middleweight title fight in Australia in 2019, on just a few hours’ notice!
Back-up fighter revealed for Adesanya vs Strickland at UFC 293
UFC 293 LIVE
02:00 , Alex Pattle
The card is airing live on TNT Sports in the UK tonight, with the broadcaster’s app and website also streaming the fights.
In the US, ESPN+ will stream the action live, as will the UFC’s Fight Pass.
More info here:
How to watch Adesanya vs Strickland at UFC 293 tonight
UFC 293 LIVE
01:45 , Alex Pattle
The UFC 293 prelims are under way as we speak. We’ll give you a round-up of those results when our main-card updates begin.
Until then, here’s a look at the card in full:
UFC 293 card in full as Adesanya defends title against Strickland tonight
UFC 293 LIVE
01:30 , Alex Pattle
Adesanya has been the betting favourite in all but one of his UFC bouts, even his rematch with Alex Pereira, and that is no different against Strickland.
The “Last Stylebender” is expected to dissect and damage his challenger at will. While Adesanya possesses less power than Alex Pereira, who was the last man to beat Strickland (via knockout in July 2022), he is an even more dynamic striker than the Brazilian.
Adesanya can employ the kind of counter-strikes that Strickland risks walking straight into – if the latter’s approach against Pereira is anything to go by.
Full main-event preview:
Why Adesanya vs Strickland may turn ugly, quickly
UFC 293 LIVE
01:15 , Alex Pattle
Our live coverage will begin in full at 3am BST, when the UFC 293 main card begins.
Until then, we’ve got you covered with build-up.
UFC 293 LIVE
Saturday 9 September 2023 22:00 , Alex Pattle
Israel Adesanya defends his middleweight title against Sean Strickland in the main event of UFC 293 tonight.
Adesanya regained the title in April by knocking out his old kickboxing rival Alex Pereira, five months after the Brazilian took the belt from Adesanya. The Nigerian-New Zealander will look to get his second run as champion off to a good start tonight, as he fights Strickland in Sydney.
While Adesanya, 34, has proven divisive among fans, American Strickland has courted greater controversy in recent years. The 32-year-old claimed in 2021 that he would like to ‘kill’ an opponent in the ring one day, but it has not stopped him from getting the greater share of cheers in Australia this week.
While he will be the apparent fan favourite at UFC 293, Adesanya is the betting favourite, with his counter-striking expected to be too slick for the game but limited Strickland.
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