In one of the most shocking upset victories in the Octagon’s antiquity, massive betting underdog, Sean Strickland has landed the undisputed middleweight championship tonight in the main event of UFC 293 — scoring a first round knockdown against Israel Adesanya en route to a jaw-dropping unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 49-46) win at UFC 293 in Sydney, Australia.
Strickland, who entered a championship challenge for the first time in his Octagon tenure tonight, became the first fighter in the UFC to score an official knockdown against Adesanya, countering the City Kickboxing staple at the Octagon fence in the opening frame, landing a flush one-two combination and sending the Nigerian-Kiwi to the canvas.
Likely suffering a round defeat in the second frame, the hugely-outspoken Covina native forced Adesanya to fight from the fence and on the back foot in the third, fourth, and fifth round throughout their middleweight title headliner — turning in a spectacular upset victory, with a unanimous decision win over the defending champion ‘Down Under’.
Below, catch the highlights from Sean Strickland’s title victory upset against Israel Adesanya
Strickland's coach did not come here looking for the decision
#UFC293 pic.twitter.com/q27dxpT42f
— UFC (@ufc) September 10, 2023
SCENES IN SYDNEY AS THE CHAMPION IS ROCKED!
Sean Strickland just dropped Israel Adesanya to close out the first round! #UFC293 pic.twitter.com/LOBfwcOCWe
— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) September 10, 2023
MIXED MARTIAL ARTS LADIES AND GENTLEMEN.
— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) September 10, 2023
SEAN STRICKLAND HAS SHOCKED THE WORLD TO BECOME CHAMPION!