OFFICIAL SCORECARD

ROUND 5: Here we go! Adesanya with the early high kicks in. Strickland still holding his ground in movement. A minute to go and both fighters maintain their guard. A pretty defensive round against expectations here. 30 seconds left on the clock as the crowd builds up the atmosphere. Strickland attempts one final flourish but Adesanya’s feints gets him through. Strickland is ecstatic as he believes he’s done enough to get that belt!

ROUND 4: Strickland gets a firm word from his corner to avoid a boring decision result at the end of the previous round. Can he step it up here? Strickland lands another flurry of one-twos on Adesanya. Ander we had the distance with Strickland very much alive in the contest against the champion.

ROUND 3: Adesanya continues his push for the high kicks but Strickland holds them off. Adesanya evades a left hook but gets caught in a quick right jab from Strickland. Another firm left hook from Strickland lands flush on Adesanya.

ROUND 2: Admirable composure from Strickland as he forces Adesanya to take initiative. His defence has held him in good stead so far. Adesanya continues to examine his options with the high kick and low jab. A slew of one-two exchanges but both fighters maintain a considerable distance from one another. No signs of going for the kill as yet.

ROUND 1: Watchful start from the champion and Strickland as they flip from side-to-side while attempting the odd jab. Adesanya goes for the high kick but Strickland maintains his distance. Strickland blocks another low kick and pushes Adesanya onto the cage. Adesanya resorts to feints as Strickland maintains a sturdy presence up front. He blocks another right hook and has a firm grip on Adesanya’s hand. BANG! A cracking one-two right hand from Strickland stuns Adesanya. A barrage of jabs follow and Adesanya survives as the buzzer ticks off. Huge momentum on the side of the challenger now!

Israel Adesanya stats

• Second-most title fight wins in middleweight – 8
• 16 wins by KO

Sean Strickland stats

• Third-highest strike rate in middleweight history – 6.19 strikes per min.
• Highest strike defence among active middleweights – 65.4 per cent
  Adesanya in focus

  As Adesanya gears up for another title defence, here is a look at the “Last Stylebender’s” prolific career.

  

  UFC: Israel Adesanya – win-loss record, stats, full fight list and results

  UFC: Here is the breakdown of Israel Adesanya’s professional career spanning across boxing, kickboxing, and mixed martial arts.

   

  UFC 293 preview

  Nigerian-born New Zealander Israel Adesanya will have some Southern Hemisphere support when he takes on American title challenger Sean Strickland in the main event of UFC 293 on Sunday.

  The fight at Sydney Olympic Park’s Qudos Bank Arena – across the Tasman Sea from Adesanya’s base in New Zealand – will give the middleweight champion an opportunity to add a submission, or tap out, to his fight results repertoire.

  A submission is when an opponent verbally concedes the match due to pain or to avoid further injury. Adesanya’s 26 professional mixed martial arts fights include 16 wins by knockout and eight via decision (along with two losses), but none by submission.

  “What do I want in my career? Submission, I definitely want a submission,” Adesanya told media this week. “It might be this fight. I know he’s going to wrestle. He’d be dumb not to. I know he’s going to try and mix it up. He’s doing this whole thing, Man dance, man dance.”

  It’s the first time since 2017 that a UFC fight has been held in Australia’s largest city, and the second UFC card in Australia this year.

  In February, in Perth, Western Australia, Islam Makhachev defied a sustained challenge from Alexander Volkanovski to maintain his supremacy in the lightweight division.

  In the lead-up to the title bout, which is timed to coincide with Saturday night in the lucrative pay-per-view TV market in North America, the 32-year-old Strickland, with a record of 27-5, has claimed he is happy to stand and box with Adesanya, although he believes his best chance is by wrestling with the champ.

  Adesanya and Strickland don’t like each other much; both have traded barbs in the past. At UFC 276 in Paradise, Nevada, in 2022, they were only a short distance away from each other, yelling, which started what has become a healthy rivalry.

  Should Adesanya win on Sunday, there are a few question marks as to who he will fight next.

  The 34-year-old Adesanya was set to take on Dricus du Plessis after he beat Robert Whittaker in a No. 1 contender match, but the South African turned down the UFC 293 fight, citing more recovery time needed and allowing Strickland to earn the call-up.

  Adesanya criticised du Plessis for not taking the chance to fight for the title: “He (du Plessis) doesn’t call the shots, I do.”

  -Strickland controversy-

  Round 1: Strickland knocks down Adesanya

  Adesanya fighting from the red corner and Strickland in the blue corner

  With pre-fight rituals out of the way both fighters are ready to engage. They come into the fight weighing 185lbs each.

  Still sizing each other up, they exchange leg kicks with Strickland making more forward motions.

  Strickland catches Adesanya’s right leg but it yields no result.

  Strickland caches Adesanya with a right hook but couldn’t follow-up.

  He knocks down Adesanya and follows with a flurry of punches but Adesanya gets back on his feet as the first round ends.