UFC 293: How to watch Adesanya-Strickland, Sydney lineup, odds, more

mmajunkie.usatoday.com

04 September 2023

UFC 293: How to watch Adesanya-Strickland, Sydney lineup, odds, more

The UFC is back in Australia on Saturday for UFC 293 in Sydney.

Here’s how to watch UFC 293 with the middleweight title on the line at the top of the bill.

UFC 293 has a main card that begins at 10 p.m. ET on pay-per-view ($79.99, via ESPN+). Two sets of prelims air on ESPNews and stream on ESPN+, as well, beginning at 6:30 p.m. ET. There is a 14-hour time difference from Sydney to Eastern Standard Time.

Israel Adesanya (24-2 MMA, 13-2 UFC) will put his title on the line for the first time in his second reign as UFC middleweight champion when he takes on Sean Strickland. Adesanya won the title in 2019 and defended it five times before he lost it to kickboxing rival Alex Pereira in November 2022. But in April, Adesanya avenged that loss with a second-round knockout to win the title back. The New Zealand-based star had been expected for months to headline the UFC’s return to Australia.

Although Sean Strickland (27-5 MMA, 14-5 UFC) brings in a winning streak of only two fights, he’ll get his first UFC title shot by virtue of Driccus Du Plessis’ inability to accept the title fight on shorter-than-normal notice. After a five-fight winning streak that included four decisions, Strickland was knocked out by Alex Pereira on Pereira’s way to the title. Then he lost to Jared Cannonier. But he rebounded in January with a decision over Nassourdine Imavov and a TKO of Abus Magomedov in July and talked his way into the title fight when Du Plessis stalled.

The crowd pop for Tai Tuivasa (15-5 MMA, 8-5 UFC), a Sydney-based Australian heavyweight, should be massive for his fight against former Bellator champion Alexander Volkov. Tuivasa has lost-back-to-back fights by knockout after a five-fight winning streak of knockouts of his own. Stefan Struve, Greg Hardy, Augusto Sakai and two-time title challenger Derrick Lewis were among the victims of his streak before he dropped bouts to Ciryl Gane and Sergei Pavlovich. The 30-year-old has not fought in Australia in nearly four years and hasn’t won a fight in his home country since February 2018, which was his second UFC fight.

Alexander Volkov (36-10 MMA, 10-4 UFC) has had a hard time building much momentum in the UFC. He had a four-fight winning streak when he first came to the promotion, but hasn’t been able to put together more than two wins in a row in more than five years. Now he has his next shot at it on the heels of knockout wins over Jairzinho Rozenstruick and Alexander Romanov.

Felipe dos Santos (7-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC), a 22-year-old Brazilian flyweight prospect, will jump right into the middle of a UFC pay-per-view main card when he takes on Manel Kape (18-6 MMA, 3-2 UFC). Dos Santos was set for his second LFA fight in August, but Edgar Chairez got his own UFC call, and his replacement opponent botched his weight cut and caused the fight’s cancellation. That turned out good for dos Santos, who now will take a reasonably short notice UFC debut, instead.

Technically, Austen Lane (12-3 MMA, 0-0 UFC) made his UFC debut in June against Justin Tafa (6-3 MMA, 3-3 UFC), but an accidental eye poke shut down that fight for a no contest. Lane and Tafa will try again in Sydney. Lane brings a six-fight winning streak of finishes to the fight, iincluding one on Dana White’s Contender Series to get his shot at the UFC.

Officially, Landon Quinones (7-1-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) will make his UFC debut at lightweight on a two-fight winning streak, though he was submitted in less than a minute by Jason Knight in his lone fight on Season 31 of “The Ultimate Fighter.” The 27-year-old American will take on Nasrat Haqparast (14-5 MMA, 6-4 UFC) on the prelims.

Charlie Radtke (7-3 MMA, 0-0 UFC) won the CFFC welterweight title in April. Now, on a four-fight winning streak with three finishes, he’ll get his first shot in the UFC against Blood Diamond (3-2 MMA, 0-2 UFC) on the prelims.

Seven-fight Bellator veteran Kiefer Crosbie (10-3 MMA, 0-0 UFC), from Ireland, opens up the prelims against Kevin Jousset (8-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC), who didn’t debut in the UFC in his home country of France this past Saturday, but instead will debut in Australia. He’s won three straight.

Champ Israel Adesanya (-600) vs. Sean Strickland (+440) – for middleweight title
Tai Tuivasa (+185) vs. Alexander Volkov (-225)
Felipe dos Santos (+310) vs. Manel Kape (-395)
Austen Lane (+200) vs. Justin Tafa (-245)
Tyson Pedro (-105) vs. Anton Turkalj (-115)