UFC 293 takeaways: Strickland's major upset continues shocking UFC trend

As UFC 293 came to a close, Sean Strickland stunned everyone by defeating Israel Adesanya to win the middleweight championship. Alexander Volkov and Manel Kape were on an interesting road before that thanks to some outstanding performances on the main card. Marc Raimondi, Jeff Wagenheim, and Brett Okamoto respond to the night's most significant events.

Everything was prepared for him by Israel Adesanya. He was fighting in Sydney, just a short flight from Auckland, New Zealand, where he lived. Adesanya had not competed in Australia since capturing the UFC middleweight title in 2019. He gave a magnificent performance back then, both inside the cage and during a daringly staged walkout. He was now back and ready to amuse the followers in his region of the earth.

But on Saturday, Sean Strickland, in a true shocker, made the UFC 293 main event into his show by pounding and walking over Adesanya for five rounds to win a unanimous decision and become the 185-pound champion.

As an Adesanya showcase, this event at Qudos Bank Arena was planned. Strickland was merely a Plan B opponent booked for the title battle because Dricus Du Plessis, who two months ago overcame former champion Robert Whittaker to become the top-ranked 185-pound contender, was unable to make this date. Strickland only had a two-fight winning streak and was far lower in the middleweight rankings. The American had no victories over any of the top five competitors in his record.

However, Strickland was prepared and eager, and despite being a 5-1 betting underdog, he was the ideal opponent for Adesanya. Strickland is a warrior who advances slowly while being unafraid of being struck. Adesanya is well renowned for his hitting.