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 …