Sean Strickland pulled off one of the biggest upsets in UFC history on Saturday, outstriking and outpointing Israel Adesanya to win the middleweight title in Sydney.
Few fans or pundits believed that Strickland had a chance to dethrone Adesanya, one of mixed martial arts’ finest strikers, but the challenger combined constant forward movement with solid defence and clinical output at UFC 293. In doing so, the controversial American – who claimed in 2021 that he would like to “kill” an opponent in the ring one day – beat Adesanya 49-46 on all three scorecards.
Strickland, 32, dropped the Nigerian-New Zealander late in Round 1 with a picture-perfect right cross, sending Adesanya spinning to the canvas before seeking a finish. Strickland could not quite find the knockout blow, however, as Adesanya, 34, survived to the buzzer.
The ensuing rounds were close, but Strickland always seemed to be a step ahead of Adesanya, who congratulated his tearful conqueror after the result was confirmed, despite a heated build to the main event.
Re-live updates from the UFC 293 main event and undercard, below.
