Author: Chandra Moulee Das
Sean Strickland caused a remarkable upset by defeating Israel Adesanya to win the UFC middleweight title at the Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney on Sunday. Strickland, who competes in Las Vegas, has suffered just two defeats since returning to the middleweight division in 2020.
Adesanya entered the ring at UFC 293 to defend his newly acquired middleweight title, which he secured with a knockout win over Brazilian Alex Pereira at UFC 287 in April. This was Adesanya’s second title fight in Australia, the first being at UFC 243 in Melbourne, where he won the middleweight title against Robert Whittaker in October 2019.
Never in all my years did I think I would see another man treat Israel Adesanya like this on the feet pic.twitter.com/w7XKnNt8bP
– Super Fan🇮🇪 (@McGregorRousey) September 10, 2023
However, the underdog Strickland secured victory by unanimous decision on the judges’ scorecards after a thrilling five-round bout. In the final moments of the last round, the American Strickland provoked Adesanya, exuding confidence after 25 minutes of chasing his opponent. Strickland defended himself skilfully and used his boxing skills to put Adesanya on the defensive.
Adesanya, who has reigned as middleweight champion for most of the last four years, struggled to find a way through Strickland’s defences. The 34-year-old Nigerian was repeatedly tagged by Strickland’s sharp jabs, which slowed his pace. Despite initially greeting Strickland with hostility when he entered the octagon and fervently cheering for Adesanya, who hails from neighboring New Zealand, the crowd applauded the new champion for his courageous performance.
🥊Strickland devient champion du monde des middleweight de l’UFC en battant #Israel Adesanya.🏆 #UFCpic.twitter.com/r2hUw6EAYu
– 📣 STOP INFO (@StopinfoFr) September 10, 2023
Strickland paved his way to victory with a powerful right uppercut that almost secured a knockout at the end of the first round. Although Adesanya managed to survive until half-time, he never regained his momentum after that. Known for his inventive punching techniques, Nigerian-born Adesanya became increasingly desperate as the fight progressed. He managed to win just one of the five rounds, with all three judges giving the remaining rounds to Strickland, each with identical scores of 49-46.