Israel Adesanya, one of the most magnetic champions in combat sports, is in action on Saturday, Sept. 9, in the main event of UFC 293.
Adesanya will defend the UFC middleweight championship against outspoken American challenger Sean Strickland. The Nigerian-born Adesanya will be in his second home, New Zealand, for the bout, with the event taking place at the Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney Olympic Park, Australia.
Another hometown favorite, Tai Tuivasa, will clash with perennial heavyweight title contender Alexander Volkov in the co-main event. Here are the complete date, time, and viewership details.
- Early Prelims – 6:30 pm – UFC Fight Pass
- Prelims – 8 pm – ESPN News or ESPN+
- Main Card – 10 pm – ESPN+ PPV
Here’s a look at the complete card.
Main Card
- (c) Israel Adesanya vs. Sean Strickland – UFC Middleweight Championship
- Tai Tuivasa vs. Alexander Volkov – Heavyweight
- Manel Kape vs. Felipe dos Santos – Men’s Flyweight
- Justin Tafa vs. Austen Lane – Heavyweight
- Tyson Pedro vs. Anton Turkalj – Light Heavyweight
Prelims
- Carlos Ulberg vs. Da Un Jung – Light Heavyweight
- Jack Jenkins vs. Chepe Mariscal – Featherweight
- Jamie Mullarkey vs. John Makdessi – Lightweight
- Nasrat Haqparast vs. Landon Quinones – Lightweight
Early Prelims
- Mike “Blood” Diamond vs. Charlie Radtke – Welterweight
- Shane Young vs. Gabriel Miranda – Featherweight
- Kevin Jousset vs. Kiefer Crosbie – Welterweight
Adesanya is coming off one of the defining wins of his combat sports career. The Stylebender avenged a loss in mixed martial arts and two defeats in kickboxing when he scored a KO victory over Alex Pereira in April 2023 at UFC 287.
Adesanya regained his 185-pound title with the victory, but five months later, he will be defending his belt against Strickland. Riding a two-fight win streak, Strickland still comes into the fight as a +460 underdog, the biggest on the card, per CBS Sports.
This fight with Strickland comes ahead of what could be an even bigger bout against bitter rival Dricus Du Plessis.
Adesanya will have to be sure not to look past Strickland as he undoubtedly has to have DDP in the back of his mind, considering the bitter trash talk the two have engaged in with each other.
Strickland will likely be looking to expose any crack to avoid being picked apart by Adesanya. Expect the Arena to be on fire all night, with several local fighters competing throughout all three legs of the card.
Stay tuned for a full event breakdown focusing on Adesanya-Strickland after the show.
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