Israel Adesanya’s next UFC fight is this weekend at UFC 293 in Sydney, Australia, as he tries to defend his belt to start his second reign as middleweight king. He will be welcoming No. 5 ranked middleweight contender Sean Strickland to his part of the world in front of a hostile crowd.
Read more for a closer look at this championship bout and the official Adesanya vs Strickland prediction ahead of making your bets on this weekend’s betting slate.
Adesanya vs. Strickland Information
Israel Adesanya vs Sean Strickland
Location of the fight: Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia,
Date and Time: Saturday, September 09. 10 PM ET.
How to Watch: ESPN+
Last Fight Record
Adesanya is coming off an incredible KO win over Alex Pereira in their rematch last April.
Strickland is coming off a TKO victory over unranked Abus Magomedov in July.
Adesanya vs. Strickland Betting Analysis
Israel Adesanya
Adesanya is a 34-year-old mixed martial artist with a professional record of 24-2 with 16 TKO/KOs under his belt as the two-time UFC middleweight champion. He is Nigerian-born but resides in Auckland, New Zealand, where he trains at the great City Kickboxing gym.
Stylebender has a height of 6’4” and an 80” reach which makes him one of the longest fighters on the UFC roster. In his historic UFC tenure, he has been in 10 title fights and averages a clean 3.94 significant strikes landed and only 2.88 significant strikes absorbed per minute in the octagon. He also has a solid 77% takedown defense to go along with his elite striking skills.
The last @Stylebender is back TOMORROW!
Don’t miss Adesanya defend his throne live at #UFC293!
Only on ESPN+ PPV: https://t.co/X3HkEdBRxJ pic.twitter.com/fIXnHngYpS
— UFC (@ufc) September 8, 2023
Sean Strickland
Strickland is a professional fighter with a MMA record of 27-5 with 11 TKO/KOs and 4 submissions at the age of 32. Representing the United States, he has been under the spotlight with some comments he has made over the recent years regarding social and political issues.
As a fighter, Strickland has been in the UFC fighting the top guys since 2014, when he fought at UFC 171 in his debut. This weekend will be his 20th time making that walk to the UFC octagon, and it’s his first shot at a title.
Strickland averages an impressive 5.86 significant strikes landed per minute while absorbing 4.28 significant strikes per minute as well. He has also accumulated an average of 1.00 takedowns per 15 minutes inside the octagon.
The challenger is ready to put on a show tomorrow night 👊@SStricklandMMA | #UFC293 pic.twitter.com/iODwz7Gxpu
— UFC (@ufc) September 8, 2023
Adesanya vs. Strickland Betting Preview
Before you can make the proper UFC picks for this fight, you will have to take a look at all of the available betting lines for this championship bout. The Adesanya vs Strickland prediction is not necessarily as easy as just picking who will win, we need to find a betting pick to make for the best payout.
According to UFC odds, Adesanya is going to close at around -650 as the massive betting favorite in this first title defense of his second reign as champion. Strickland is bringing up the rear as the underdog at +475. You can get Adesanya to win inside the distance at -110, and Strickland is +700 to do the same.
After breaking down the betting lines, it’s time to take a look at some film from these two and their recent performances. Adesanya is one of the best champions the UFC has ever seen. He has cleared out a division and even gave someone who has beaten him twice in kickboxing a fast-track title shot, then evening the score in the rematch.
Clash of Styles and Mentality
Strickland has put together some awesome wins over his long career and has earned this title shot by being someone who is ready to fight anybody at any time. These two are very different human beings.
On a technical note, Adesanya is undeniably the most talented striker in the division and probably the whole UFC. He is going to always come into a fight with a game plan and the focus to carry that plan out for all 25 minutes. His length and ability to draw out feints are what will be the key in this fight.
Strickland is someone who will never quit. He has made a career off mentally and physically breaking opponents and always being the one that is left standing. He has slick boxing skills and a good jab that he fights behind.
Adesanya vs. Strickland Betting Prediction
Since we have broken down the styles that both of these men bring to the cage and the betting lines available for us, it’s time to arrive at the official Adesanya vs Strickland prediction.
- The prediction for this UFC 293 title fight is that Adesanya will win inside the distance (-110).
He is going to be too good and too sharp for Strickland to do anything that can give him trouble.
Adesanya is a guy that everyone thinks they have the key to beat him, but he doesn’t let it happen. If Whittaker, Vettori, and Romero couldn’t take him down and win that way, why would Strickland?
If Strickland decides to stand up and try to out-box Adesanya, it’s going to be a long night for the American. Adesanya is a master at feinting and drawing out the reactions of his opponents to give him the look he wants, and Strickland literally reacts to everything thrown his way.
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