Sean
Strickland set a pace an all-time great could not match and
authored one of the biggest upsets in
Ultimate Fighting Championship history.
The
Xtreme Couture export outboxed and outwitted Israel
Adesanya to a stunning unanimous decision, as he captured the
undisputed middleweight crown in the
UFC 293 headliner on Saturday at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney.
Strickland (28-5, 15-5 UFC) swept the scorecards with 49-46 marks
from all three members of the cageside judiciary.
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Adesanya (24-3, 13-3 UFC) never established a rhythm. Strickland
leveled him with a clean one-two at the end of an
otherwise-uneventful first round, swarmed for a potential finish
and then settled in for the long haul. The Californian’s standup
defense was virtually bulletproof, limiting Adesanya to one shot at
a time in the vast majority of their exchanges. Strickland moved
forward the entire fight, wore down the champion with pressure and
kept him on his back foot. When the final horn sounded, the
normally confident Adesanya looked like a man who was very much
resigned to his fate.
Volkov Choke Stops Tuivasa
Former Bellator
MMA and M-1 Global
titleholder Alexander
Volkov put away Tai Tuivasa
with an Ezekiel choke in the second round of their heavyweight
co-main event. Tuivasa (14-6, 8-6 UFC) bowed out 4:37 into Round 2,
as he suffered his third straight defeat.
Volkov (37-10, 11-4 UFC) tore into the Aussie with a punishing jab,
brutal body kicks and powerful right hands on the counter. Tuivasa
enjoyed little in the way of measurable success, outside of
repeated kicks to the lower leg that left the 6-foot-7 Russian with
a compromised base. Volkov caught a kick late in the middle stanza,
tripped his counterpart to the floor and climbed to full mount. He
threatened with an arm-triangle choke, forced Tuivasa to surrender
his back and then settled back into mount. From there, he framed
the Ezekiel choke, applied a smothering squeeze and elicited the
tapout.
It was Volkov’s first submission win since Feb. 19, 2016.
Kape Handles Replacement Dos Santos
Onetime
Rizin Fighting Federation champion Manel Kape
outstruck the previously unbeaten Felipe
dos Santos to a unanimous decision in an entertaining
three-round flyweight attraction. All three cageside judges scored
it for Kape (19-6, 4-2 UFC): 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28.
A short-notice fill-in for Kai
Kara-France, dos Santos (7-1, 0-1 UFC) showed off the skills
and fortitude that have made him one of the prospects to watch on
the Brazilian regional scene. He gave Kape pause with a variety of
techniques, including a spinning back elbow in the first round, and
opened a cut near the Xtreme Couture rep’s right eye in the third.
Still, the favorite proved to be the superior fighter in a majority
of their exchanges. Kape ripped punches to the body and head,
countered effectively throughout and even mixed in a takedown in
the closing seconds of the match.
Kape, 29, will ride a four-fight winning streak into his next
assignment.
Ferocious Tafa Buries Lane
Former Xtreme Fighting Championships titleholder Justin Tafa
brought down two-time
Dana White’s Contender Series alum Justin Tafa
with punches in the opening round of their heavyweight rematch.
Tafa (7-3, 4-3 UFC) drew the curtain 1:22 into Round 1. Their first
encounter ended in a no contest due to an eye poke on June 24.
Lane (12-4, 0-1 UFC) tested the water with body kicks but failed to
keep his chin tucked and paid the price. Tafa decked him with a
left hook and then crashed in with a burst of standing-to-ground
punches from both hands, leaving referee no choice Jim Perdio no
choice but to intervene.
It was the fifth first-round finish of Tafa’s career.
Pedro Rebounds, Wrecks Turkalj
City Kickboxing’s Tyson Pedro
bounced back from a Feb. 11 decision defeat to Modestas
Bukauskas and did so decisively, as he buried Anton
Turkalj with punches in the first round of their light
heavyweight appetizer. Turkalj (8-3, 0-3 UFC) checked out 2:12 into
Round 3 and remains winless in three appearances inside the
Octagon.
Pedro (10-4, 6-4 UFC) wobbled the Swede with a clean one-two, reset
in open space, connected with an overhand right and then floored
him with another two-punch volley. The heavy-handed Aussie gave
chase and cut loose with hammerfists to force the stoppage.
The 31-year-old Pedro has won three of his past four bouts.
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UFC 293 Prelims: Jose Mariscal Slam Injures Jack Jenkins