Sean Strickland to face Israel Adesanya at UFC 293 for middleweight belt

BREAKING NEWS FROM UFC PRESIDENT DANA WHITE | AUGUST 8, 2023!!!

The UFC has confirmed that Israel Adesanya will defend his middleweight belt against Sean Strickland at UFC 293 in Sidney on September 9.

The bout will be Adesanya’s 11th consecutive title fight. The Nigerian-born New Zealand fighter claimed the middleweight crown from Alex “Poatan” Pereira at UFC 287 in April. “The Last Stylebender” will enter the fight against Strickland with a record of 24-2.

Meanwhile, “The Tarzan” will step into the cage with a record of 27-5. The American fighter will look to claim his third consecutive win following victories over Nassourdine Imavov and Abusupiyan Magomedov at UFC Vegas 67 and UFC Vegas 76, respectively.

“What I love about Israel; he’s always ready to take on the best in the world—anyone, anytime. And Strickland is an absolute maniac who doesn’t back down from anyone. This will be a great fight,” promotion boss Dana White said Tuesday in a video announcement.

Adesanya was initially scheduled to fight Dricus du Plessis, who had claimed his title contention spot following a UFC 290 win over Robbert Whittaker. The rivalry between Adesanya and du Plessis intensified following the latter’s triumph over “The Reaper” last month. A fight between the two supposedly would settle who the real “African champion” is.

Unfortunately, du Plessis fought Whittaker with an injured foot, and the same injury has now prevented the South African from claiming his title shot. MMA insider Ariel Helwani was the first to report on the development, including that Adesanya would likely defend his title against Strickland instead.

That said, Strickland’s entry into the card was not without obstacles. The fight was not announced until yesterday as the fighter had reportedly encountered visa issues for his first showdown outside the U.S. since 2018.

Besides Adesanya vs. Strickland, UFC 293 will also witness a heavyweight co-main bout between Tai Tuivasa and Alexander Volkov. Meanwhile, Kai Kara-France will face Manel Kape in the flyweight division. In the women’s lightweight division, Viviane Araujo will fight Jennifer Maia.

Israel Adesanya and Sean Strickland roast each other at presser: “I slapped your a** backstage!”

The full lineup for the UFC 293 card is as follows:

– Israel Adesanya vs. Sean Strickland (main event)

– Tai Tuivasa vs. Alexander Volkov (co-main event)

– Kai Kara-France vs. Manel Kape

– Justin Tafa vs. Austen Lane

– Viviane Araujo vs. Jennifer Maia

– Carlos Ulberg vs. Da Un Jung

– Blood Diamond vs. Charlie Radtke

– Tyson Pedro vs. Anton Turkalj

– Brandon Jenkins vs. Chepe Mariscal

– Shane Young vs. Gabriel Miranda

– Jamie Mullarkey vs. John Makdessi