UFC 293 LIVE: Adesanya vs Strickland updates and results tonight
Re-live updates after Israel Adesanya lost his middleweight title to the controversial Sean Strickland
Sean Strickland pulled off one of the biggest upsets in UFC history on Saturday, outstriking and outpointing Israel Adesanya to win the middleweight title in Sydney.
Few fans or pundits believed that Strickland had a chance to dethrone Adesanya, one of mixed martial arts’ finest strikers, but the challenger combined constant forward movement with solid defence and clinical output at UFC 293. In doing so, the controversial American – who claimed in 2021 that he would like to “kill” an opponent in the ring one day – beat Adesanya 49-46 on all three scorecards.
Strickland, 32, dropped the Nigerian-New Zealander late in Round 1 with a picture-perfect right cross, sending Adesanya spinning to the canvas before seeking a finish. Strickland could not quite find the knockout blow, however, as Adesanya, 34, survived to the buzzer.
The ensuing rounds were close, but Strickland always seemed to be a step ahead of Adesanya, who congratulated his tearful conqueror after the result was confirmed, despite a heated build to the main event.
Re-live updates from the UFC 293 main event and undercard, below.
UFC 293 LIVE: Manel Kape vs Felipe dos Santos
Round 3
Dos Santos wings a right hook and misses, and Kape punishes him with a short, straight, stinging shot.
Kape continues to switch stances. He’s showing off good head movement to avoid much of Dos Santos’s offence.
Until now! Dos Santos lands a couple of big punches clean!
Both men are landing at will now!! Kape is cut around his left eye. He’s surely up on the scorecards; is he going to let this one slip away here, though??
Maybe not! He drops Dos Santos to a knee with a crisp counter cross! Back comes Dos Santos with a one-two, which is on point!
Kape slows the pace, wisely. Dos Santos is looking to take his head off with every strike now.
Kape with a well-timed takedown late in the round, and some ground and pound for good measure! We’ll go to the judges’ scorecards.
Manel Kape def. Felipe dos Santos via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
UFC 293 LIVE: Manel Kape vs Felipe dos Santos
Round 2
Kape is back to his southpaw stance. He’s caught with a one-two, before Dos Santos tries and fails to grapple.
Low kick and cross by Dos Santos. Kape responds with his own leg kick, flooring the Brazilian.
Dos Santos is back up quickly. Kape leaps into range with an uppercut, and although he misses, a follow-up hook lands! Good use of angles there.
Oh, Dos Santos throws a hook but is tagged by a clean counter, which staggers him. He’s really leaving his chin out whenever he comes forward.
He tries a couple of spinning attacks, but Kape sticks to the basics and outlands the Brazilian in a promising spell!
UFC 293 LIVE: Manel Kape vs Felipe dos Santos
Round 1
Dos Santos stands orthodox; Kape is southpaw for now.
Kape looks the crisper striker early, and he drops Dos Santos with a cross! The Brazilian is able to survive the Angolan’s ground and pound, and he gets to his feet.
Dos Santos still looks a little out of it, though, as Kape goes orthodox. Oh! Down goes Dos Santos again, but once more he maintains his wherewithal and is able to stand.
Now he tags Kape hard! Good body kicks from Dos Santos, too.
Oh... A spinning back elbow is just off the mark for Kape! Dos Santos manages to close range and get a body lock against the fence, but he can’t do much with it.
Soon the fighters are out in the open. More front kicks to the body by Dos Santos. Kape replies with one of his own, then a hard hook! Both men land a series of clean punches before the buzzer sounds!!
UFC 293 LIVE
The main card is clipping along!
Next up is a flyweight clash between Manel Kape and Felipe dos Santos, who replaces New Zealand’s Kai Kara-France on short notice.
UFC 293 LIVE: Justin Tafa vs Austen Lane
Tafa and Lane actually fought in June, and the bout ended as a No Contest due to an eye poke from Lane – just 29 seconds into the first round.
This rematch began with an eye poke from Lane, too, but thankfully the bout had a decisive finish this time!
UFC 293 LIVE: Justin Tafa vs Austen Lane
Round 1
Almost immediately we have a low blow – and potential eye poke – from Lane. There’s a brief pause in the action, before we get back under way.
Lane is orthodox; Tafa stands southpaw.
Lane with a jab, while Tafa responds with a counter lead hook. Lane just misses the mark with a head kick and slips.
Again Tafa lands a counter hook off his right wing, then BOOM!! A left hook drops Lane!!
Tafa with a few follow-up punches as Lane lies prone on the mat, and the referee waves it off!
Justin Tafa def. Austen Lane via TKO (punches, 1:22)
UFC 293 LIVE
Next up, heavyweight action! New Zealand’s Justin Tafa takes on America’s Austen Lane.
Here we go...
UFC 293 LIVE: Tyson Pedro vs Anton Turkalj
Round 1
Turkalj starts on the front foot, standing orthodox, pressing forward and firing off intermittent leg kicks.
Pedro is also orthodox. He leans back to avoid a front kick attempt, then throws his own low kick.
Turkalj parries a series of jab feints, but Pedro beats the guard with a clean one-two! More straight shots, and Turkalj is on wobbly legs!!
He manages to stay cognisant for a brief spell, but he eats a hard body kick, before another cross drops him!!
One hammer fist by Pedro and Turkalj is OUT! It’s all over in Round 1, and a huge cheer erupts in the arena!
Tyson Pedro def. Anton Turkalj via first-round KO (punches, 2:12)
UFC 293 LIVE
Good reception for Pedro, as you’d expect, as the Australian makes his entrance in Sydney.
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