UFC 293: Strickland vs. Adesanya | Event Profile, Full Results & Legacy
- Roe Jogan
- 3h
- 6 min read
Introduction
UFC 293: Strickland vs. Adesanya took place on Saturday, September 9, 2023 at the Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia. It was the night Sean Strickland produced the most shocking result in UFC middleweight history — a unanimous-decision win over Israel Adesanya that ended the champion's second title reign. Strickland was a +400 underdog; Adesanya was a -600 favourite. The result produced one of the most stunned post-fight silences in Australian UFC history. The card produced an estimated 450,000 pay-per-view buys.
Strickland used relentless forward pressure and high-volume combination striking to out-work Adesanya across all five rounds. The champion's range-control and counter-striking — the foundation of his game — could not create the separation he needed against Strickland's forward press. Final scorecards: 49-46, 48-47, 49-46. Sean Strickland was the UFC middleweight champion.
The co-main was Alexander Volkov vs. Tai Tuivasa in a heavyweight bout. Volkov used his reach and technical boxing to outpoint the Australian crowd favourite across three rounds, winning via unanimous decision. The Sydney crowd was pro-Tuivasa and pro-Adesanya; both of their fighters lost, making it one of the most deflating nights for Australian UFC fans on home soil.
Contents
Quick Stats
📅 Date: Saturday, September 9, 2023
📍 Venue: Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
👥 Attendance: 21,171 (full capacity)
💰 Gate: $8.3 million
📺 PPV Buys: ~450,000
📡 Broadcast: Pay-per-view (ESPN+ in USA)
🏆 Main Event: Israel Adesanya (c) vs. Sean Strickland — UFC Middleweight Championship (185 lbs)
✅ Result: Strickland def. Adesanya via Unanimous Decision (49-46, 48-47, 49-46)
🥇 Co-Main: Alexander Volkov def. Tai Tuivasa via Unanimous Decision (29-28 ×3) — Heavyweight
The Build-Up
Israel Adesanya had reclaimed the middleweight title at UFC 287 in April 2023 with a second-round KO of Alex Pereira. He entered UFC 293 at 24-2 as an overwhelming favourite. Strickland was 28-5, ranked #4 in the middleweight division, known for his relentless forward pressure and extreme-volume combination punching but widely considered a significant stylistic mismatch against Adesanya's range-control.
Strickland's odds drifted as high as +450 in the lead-up to the fight. His public persona — outspoken, controversial, and polarising — made him one of the most-talked-about fighters on the card despite the lopsided betting market. The Sydney venue was firmly pro-Adesanya: the champion's adopted home crowd, similar to the London atmosphere at UFC 286 for Leon Edwards. Strickland was fighting in front of 21,000 hostile fans.
The co-main featured hometown favourite Tai Tuivasa against Alexander Volkov in a heavyweight bout. Tuivasa was 15-5, ranked #7 in the heavyweight division; Volkov was 38-10 and known for his technical boxing. The card was framed around the Strickland-Adesanya upset potential and the Tuivasa-Volkov Australian crowd moment.
Main Event: Strickland vs. Adesanya
Strickland's game plan was executed with precision across all five rounds. He walked forward relentlessly, kept his guard high, and threw combinations in volume — particularly the jab-cross-hook-cross sequence that became the defining pattern of the fight. Adesanya's range management and his movement — the tools that had defeated Whitaker, Costa, Vettori, and Pereira — could not create the separation he needed. Strickland's pressure was too consistent and too high-volume to allow Adesanya to find his rhythm.
By round three it was clear that Strickland was winning. Adesanya increased his output in rounds four and five but could not swing the momentum. Strickland's volume was relentless; he threw over 500 significant strikes across the fight and landed at a 41% clip. Final scorecards: 49-46, 48-47, 49-46. The 49-46 cards were wide; the 48-47 reflected the closer nature of rounds four and five. Sean Strickland was the UFC middleweight champion.
In the cage immediately after, Strickland climbed the cage and pointed to the crowd: "You all said I was crazy. You all said it couldn't be done." The Sydney arena was near-silent. It was one of the most surreal post-fight moments in UFC history.
Co-Main Event: Volkov vs. Tuivasa
Alexander Volkov used his 6'7" reach and his technical boxing to control all three rounds against Tai Tuivasa. The Australian crowd was electric for Tuivasa early but Volkov's jab was too consistent. Final scorecards: 29-28, 29-28, 29-28 Volkov. The co-main result added to the deflation of the Sydney crowd. Tuivasa went 0-3 in his next three UFC bouts and has remained a crowd favourite without recapturing his 2022 KO momentum.
Full Results
Main Card (Pay-Per-View)
Sean Strickland def. Israel Adesanya (c) — Unanimous Decision (49-46, 48-47, 49-46) — Middleweight Title
Alexander Volkov def. Tai Tuivasa — Unanimous Decision (29-28 ×3) — Heavyweight
Tyson Pedro def. Anton Turkalj — TKO (punches) — R1, 2:19 — Light Heavyweight
Jamie Mullarkey def. Francisco Pinheiro — KO (punches) — R1, 0:48 — Lightweight
Carlos Ulberg def. Da-un Jung — KO (punches) — R2, 0:34 — Light Heavyweight
Preliminary Card (ESPN/ESPN+)
Jack Jenkins def. Jamall Emmers — Unanimous Decision (29-28 ×3) — Featherweight
Manel Kape def. Steve Erceg — Unanimous Decision (29-28 ×3) — Flyweight
Shane Young def. Elves Brener — Unanimous Decision (29-28 ×3) — Featherweight
Josh Culibao def. Jared Gordon — Split Decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28) — Featherweight
Bonuses & Awards
🥇 Performance of the Night: Sean Strickland — $50,000 for the dominant unanimous-decision win over Israel Adesanya to claim the middleweight title.
🥇 Performance of the Night: Carlos Ulberg — $50,000 for the second-round KO of Da-un Jung.
🥇 Performance of the Night: Jamie Mullarkey — $50,000 for the 48-second first-round KO of Francisco Pinheiro.
Records & Milestones
• Strickland the biggest underdog to win a UFC middleweight title in division history (+400 at fight time).
• Adesanya's second loss in the middleweight division — his overall record at 185 lbs fell to 12-2.
• Strickland landed 500+ significant strikes across five rounds — the highest volume output against Adesanya in his UFC career.
• The result was the most-discussed middleweight upset since Michael Bisping def. Luke Rockhold at UFC 199 in June 2016.
Legacy & Impact
UFC 293 is one of the great upsets in UFC history. The Strickland UD win over Adesanya in Sydney — in front of 21,000 hostile fans, against a -600 favourite — is ranked alongside Bisping-Rockhold as the biggest middleweight title-fight upset in UFC history. The result demonstrated that Adesanya's range-and-counter game had a reproducible counter: relentless forward pressure and elite volume.
Strickland defended the title against Dricus du Plessis at UFC 297 in January 2024 via split decision (loss — du Plessis won the title by SD). His championship reign lasted approximately four months. Adesanya attempted to reclaim the title from du Plessis at UFC 305 in August 2024 (UD loss) and has announced a hiatus from MMA in 2025.
FAQ
Why couldn't Adesanya solve Strickland's pressure?
Adesanya's game is built on range and timing — he uses lateral movement and a long guard to create distance for his counter-striking. Strickland's forward pressure eliminated that space systematically. Every time Adesanya moved laterally, Strickland cut the angle. Every time Adesanya tried to reset to his preferred range, Strickland ate the strike and kept walking. Strickland's chin and his willingness to absorb clean shots to maintain forward momentum was the key tactical variable Adesanya could not account for.
Did Strickland and Adesanya rematch?
Not directly. Strickland lost the title to Dricus du Plessis at UFC 297 in January 2024. Adesanya then challenged du Plessis for the title at UFC 305 in August 2024 (UD loss). The Strickland-Adesanya series stands at 1-0 Strickland.
Was this the biggest upset in UFC middleweight history?
By betting-odds measure, yes. Strickland at +400 versus Adesanya at -600 represents the most lopsided pre-fight market for a middleweight championship that has produced an upset result in UFC history. The Bisping-Rockhold result at UFC 199 is the closest comparison: Bisping was +350 over Rockhold. Both men were massive underdogs who won decisively.
How does UFC 293 compare to UFC 292?
UFC 293 drew approximately 450,000 PPV buys versus UFC 292 (700,000) three weeks earlier — a 250,000-buy drop reflecting the lower North American PPV pull of an Australian time zone event and the absence of an O'Malley-level star. The historical significance of the Strickland upset far exceeded the PPV numbers.
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