UFC 293: Sean Strickland Defeated Israel Adesanya To Win Middleweight Title
The American fighter was elated in the closing couple of seconds of the tough bout.
Sean Srtickland dominating Israel Adesanya; UFC 293
In the main event of UFC 287 on Saturday night, Sean “Tarzan” Strickland (28-5-0) defeated Israel “The Last Stylebender” Adesanya (24-3-0) by unanimous decision to become the new undisputed middleweight champion of the world.
All three judges gave Strickland, 32, a 49-46 victory because he maintained a sound game plan throughout the encounter. While the American boxer maintained his composure for most of the five rounds, he was elated in the closing seconds of the battle.
After the first round, Strickland rocked Adesanya with a right punch, but the 34-year-old escaped his first professional knockdown.
Adesanya was kept on the retreat the whole battle by Strickland, who was extremely cautious while striking. All through the evening, he did not even kick.
Adesanya only prevailed in the second round due to activity as he continued to travel about the octagon in quest of his spots.
On the other hand, Strickland drew blood from his opponent, while Adesanya, who relied more on leg kicks, could not damage Strickland.
Blood was all over Adesanya’s face, which was also bloated and appeared to be laboring a little to breathe.
Despite Strickland striking him after the final buzzer, Adesanya was courteous in defeat, as he had been in previous losses.
The likelihood of a rematch between the two is high; however, Adesanya could require more time off than usual, given that this was his poorest UFC performance.
