Shock! UFC has a new champion, Adesanya showed great character again, knockouts were falling. What did UFC 293 look like?

The UFC returned to Sydney, Australia with the 293 tournament. The Australian capital saw 8 Australian and New Zealand representatives, making for no shortage of atmosphere. Israel Adesanya and Sean Strickland provided the main and only title match. What did the gala look like?

Early Prelims, Prelims

The first two cards of UFC 293 offered duels of more or less unknown fighters, so they may not have been very attractive for Czechoslovak fans at first glance. But we didn’t have to be bored.

The very first bout offered the first ending when Evin Jousset defeated Kiefer Corbie on a rear-naked choke with 11 seconds left in the first round. It was the UFC debut for both fighters.

The second bout also offered a stoppage on a submission, this time it was Gabriel Miranda who took care of it after 59 seconds, defeating New Zealander Shane Young on a rear-naked choke and also notching his first UFC win after a first loss. Young, on the other hand, fell to 2-5 in the organization.

Afterwards, there was a bit of a wait for any other finishes. Charles Radtke, in his UFC debut, defeated Blood Diamond on points, who is 0-3 in the UFC. For a change, Nasrat Haqparast defeated debutant Landon Quinones in his 11th fight.

Australian Jamie Mullarkey’s bout also ended on points, however, the home fighter outpointed John Makdessi, giving the Australian crowd something to cheer about.

The penultimate fight of the prelims card ended in the worst possible way. Chepe Mariskal won by TKO after an injury to Jack Jenkins. The last bout before the main card was dominated by Carlos Ulberg, who choked out Da Woon Jung with 11 seconds left in the fight.

Main card

Australian heroes deliver knockouts

The opening of the main card started the best it could. Australian Tyson Pedro faced Swedish prospect Anton Turkalj. While the homegrown fighter is already proven in the UFC and has a pretty wild record, his Swedish opponent has been picking up nothing but defeats since joining the organization. And it was no different in Sydney.

The 31-year-old Australian improved his UFC record to 6-4 and added the green box to his stats again after losing his last fight.

TYSON PEDRO KNOCKS OUT THE PLEASURE MAN IN ROUND 1 #UFC293 pic.twitter.com/6Hp9XPRL52

— Spinnin Backfist (@SpinninBackfist) September 10, 2023

The second fight of the main card also brought fans great joy. That’s because Australian heavyweight Justin Tafa finished Austen Lane at 1:22 of the first round after a hard left hand bomb, which he added a few shots on the ground.

It’s worth noting that Tafa and Lane fought back in June, only for the bout to end in a no contest after half a minute due to an eye poke. However, the rematch also featured an early eye poke,

Tafa recovered though and then exacted a harsh revenge on his opponent for the awkward moment, albeit unintentional, by knocking him out uncompromisingly.

JUSTIN TAFA KNOCKS OUT LANE BRUTALLY #UFC293 pic.twitter.com/6jQ8cjuS7u

— Spinnin Backfist (@SpinninBackfist) September 10, 2023

Despite the loss, the Brazilian talent was the hero of the night

Afterwards, Manel Kape, the man who, among others, defeated David Dvorak, went into action. This time he was to be tested by the talented 22-year-old Felipe dos Santos, who has not yet known the taste of defeat. And that the UFC debutant, who took the fight on short notice, would have any respect from a top ten flyweight? He didn’t.

Kape was seen as the big favorite, he’s older, more experienced, it’s just that dos Santos has won fans over with his style from the start. Wildness, directness, risk taking, no fear. Soon it was the Brazilian, despite delivering a knockdown, who earned the respect of his opponent, who added to the caution.

Dos Santos was brimming with activity, but Kape had more hardness and accuracy with his punches. No one seemed to expect a fight this even and difficult for Kape. The Brazilian won over the fans. In a big way. He lost the fight on points, but for a sold-out Sydney arena, he was the winner. His qualities were recognised by Kape.

The heavyweights were dominated by Volkov

How cruel life can be in combat sports? That’s the story of the Australian handsome Tai Tuivasa. Not so long ago he was on the way to a title shot, but now he has his third loss in a row for a change.

In Sydney, he faced veteran Alexander Volkov, who scored his 47th professional MMA fight. At 34, he’s in top form and proved it against Tuivas, who he finished on an Ezekiel choke.

For the Russian, it was only his fourth career win on a submission. Volkov had the upper hand the entire fight. He used his big height advantage, which also gave him a longer arm and leg span and it showed. Tuivasa had a hard time getting close to Volkov’s body, he had a lot of trouble with that.

The stats in the punch count looked accordingly. While Volkov was able to rain down punch after punch from his retreat, Tuivasa kept cashing in despite exerting activity, and the Russian made his face the perfect place for an autograph session. In the second round, the fight moved to the ground, where it ended.

Volkov has his third win in a row and could potentially move closer to a title shot.

Surprise. Adesanya is no longer the champion

Israel Adesanya made his first defence in Sydney after becoming middleweight king again. He was a big favourite, Sean Strickland was written off not only by the fans but also by the pundits or bookies.

The champion was a huge favourite, however the American fighter was aware of his qualities, he was confident and it showed in the fight. He defeated his demons and also defeated Adesanya. Arguably the best standup fighter in the UFC couldn’t get the job done against him in the standup department.

Strickland put on a phenomenal performance. He was able to put Adesanya down in the first round, but he was able to recover and withstand the pressure from the American. But he couldn’t turn the fight in his favor.

Adesanya was always the one who had to back down. Strickland was always in front of him, always applying pressure. He was more precise, harder. And he had a great defense, Adesanya couldn’t get past him, he didn’t like the game.

The champion knew the fight was slipping through his fingers and there was a certain helplessness about him in the fifth round. After five rounds, all the judges saw Strickland winning and he was the new middleweight king.

Adesanya, as is his wont, took the loss with grace and showed that he has the character of a true champion, even though he lost the title again.

MIXED MARTIAL ARTS LADIES AND GENTLEMEN. 😳

🏆 SEAN STRICKLAND HAS SHOCKED THE WORLD TO BECOME CHAMPION! #UFC293 pic.twitter.com/sKnUKMLNic

— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) September 10, 2023

Source: UFC, Twitter