In one of the most stunning results in the history of the sport, Sean Strickland capped off UFC 293 with a nearly flawless performance against Israel Adesanya at his own game.
The rise of Sean Strickland was halted by consecutive losses to Alex Pereira and Jared Cannonier, but earned his title shot at UFC 293 with a pair of wins in 2023 (and the unavailability of would-be challenger Dricus du Plessis). Israel Adesanya had just earned his title back from Pereira, who had stopped his run of title defenses at five.
It was a perhaps expected start between Adesanya and Strickland, with Adesanya sizing up his distance while Strickland marched forward. Neither fighter was landing cleanly for the first several minutes, with long jabs and kicks from Adesanya being the main weapon of the fight. With about a minute left, Strickland landed a combination that caused the champion to guard up against the fence. Strickland liked where that led him as a huge right hand landed for him as Adesanya was throwing a left, knocking down the champion. Strickland pushed him up against the fence and unloaded haymakers to a shelled-up Adesanya. The champion survived the first-round scare.
Adesanya had a bit more aggression in his approach in the second round, as he couldn’t allow Strickland to dictate the rhythm of the fight following the knockdown. A two-punch combination for Adesanya was the most relevant set of strikes for the first few minutes of the round. A strong body shot also connected for him as well as an overhand right. Strickland, on the other hand, was not able to build off of the first-round knockdown aside from a pair of punches at the very end of the round.
The fight continued at a measured pace as Strickland’s forward movement and defensive approach made life difficult for Adesanya. The fighters traded right hands, but as the round went on, Strickland’s punches were getting through the guard of Adesanya, while the champion struggled to land cleanly.
Adesanya continued to try and find a home for his kicks, but nothing was getting through. Strickland was opening up more as the fight went on and was landing with success. Adesanya did not have an answer for the straightforward approach. Strickland had taken minimum damage through four rounds and the champion was running out of time.
The sense of urgency for Adesanya, seemingly down three rounds to one, was not there. He remained puzzled by the defense of Strickland. The challenger wasn’t resting on the lead either. He continued to bully Adesanya with jabs and clean pressure. With 10 seconds left, Strickland realized he was going to be the champion and began talking trash to his battered opponent. Strickland’s journey to the top was complete. He pulled off one of the greatest championship upsets in the history of the sport.
Sean Strickland def. Israel Adesanya by Unanimous Decision (49-46 x3)
