UFC 293: Strickland Hopes to Pull Memorable Upset Down Under by Beating Adesanya

Sean Strickland doesn’t have the recent resume that screams exciting UFC middleweight challenger. The American is on a two-fight winning streak, but neither victory was necessarily impressive. What has Strickland on a path to a title shot at UFC 293 on Saturday at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia, is a combination of two factors.

First, No. 1 contender Dricus Du Plessis has a foot injury. Du Plessis is coming off the biggest victory of his career, knocking out former champion Robert Whitaker in July to earn a title shot. Secondly, Adesanya has cleaned out the rest of the division. Adesanya already has victories over the No. 2 through No. 6 contenders.

This UFC card will have 12 fights on the docket. Here’s a look at some news and notes for what this pay-per-view will have on the table.

Getting Foreign Fighters to Australia is Tough

At least one Australian fighter will be disappointed he’s sitting on the sidelines for UFC 293. Australian welterweight Jack Della Maddalena has won his first five fights on the UFC main roster. Following a split decision win over Bassil Hafez in July, Maddelena has expressed a desire to fight in his home country at UFC 293.

Maddelena said that the UFC told him they were having difficulty finding an opponent because opponents wanted more money to compensate for Australian taxes. Foreign fighters have to pay the following in tax based on Australian dollars earned:

• $0 to 120,000, 32.5%
• $120,001-180,000, 37%
• $180,0001 and greater, 45%

Strickland is a Colorful Talker

Strickland getting an opportunity to fight for a title is a remarkable comeback story. He was forced to take two years off of competition after suffering a serious injury following a motorcycle accident. Since returning with a decision win over Jack Marshman in October 2020, Strickland has won eight of his past ten fights.

While Strickland is a strong fighter, he is to be polite, probably best known for saying ignorant things in press conferences. Strickland has criticized Adesanya for his love of anime and also for painting his nails. The leadup to this fight will be filled with nasty barbs heading in each direction.

Keep Your Hands Out of His Eyes, Please

Mixed martial arts lends itself to weird injuries. Austin Lane and Justin Tafa found out the ugly way in June. Austen Lane was attempting to strike Justin Tafa during a heavyweight fight in Jacksonville when his fingers went deep into Tafa’s eyes. Only 29 seconds in, Tafa acknowledged that he could no longer see.

The bout was declared a no contest and the two heavyweights will run in back this weekend. Lane had won his previous six fights before that bout and is now 12-3 in his career. Tafa is 6-3.

How Does Beer Taste Out of a Shoe?

No. 6-ranked heavyweight Tai Tuivasa is in real danger of falling out of the top 10 with another loss. Tuivasa, best known for his happy-go-lucky personality and celebrating wins by drinking beer out of people’s shoes, had risen all the way up to no. 3 following a five-fight winning streak.

Since then, Tuivasa has suffered back-to-back knockout defeats to the two top-ranked contenders, Sergei Pavlovich and Ciryl Gane. The 30-year-old Australian won’t want to take another loss when he takes on Russian heavyweight Alexander Volkov. Volkov has knocked out his last two opponents and is 36-10 in his career.

Kape Set to Take on Brazilian Prospect

UFC 293’s main card will feature one flyweight fight between Manuel Kape and Felipe dos Santos. Dos Santos is a Brazilian debutant who is 7-0 (one no contest). Dos Santos has finished five of his seven victories on the regional scene, including three submissions.

Kape will provide dos Santos with a difficult challenge for his UFC debut. Kape is ranked No. 10 at flyweight and is on a three-fight winning streak. For Kape, this will be an important fight to try and keep building his stock. Kape was originally slated to fight Kai Kara-France, who pulled out due to an injury.

Fighting dos Santos will represent a step down in competition from Kara-France, who is a former interim title challenger. Kape will be expected to put together a dominant performance.

Pedro Set for Second Consecutive Australian Card

Australian light heavyweight Tyson Pedro has been tabbed to kick off the main card against Anton Turkalj. Pedro can usually be counted on for some major fireworks. During his career, ten of Pedro’s 13 fights have ended inside of the first round. However, Pedro’s last fight, a loss to Modestas Bukauskas at UFC 284 in February, ended with a decision loss.

Turkajl isn’t a stranger to quick fights. Eight of his ten career bouts have ended inside the distance. Much like Pedro, however, his last fight, a decision loss to Vitor Petrino, also ended inside the distance.

Mullarkey Good Use Some Good Vibes

Australian lightweight Jamie Mullarkey will want to try and put his best foot forward to start building some momentum. Over Mullarkey’s past eight fights, he has compiled a 4-4 record. During Mullarkey’s last bout, he suffered a knockout loss to Muhammad Naimov in June. 

Fighting Canadian John Makdessi may be a good stylistic matchup for Mullarkey. Makdessi isn’t a finisher, seeing eight of his past nine fights going to the scorecards. While Makdessi isn’t a scrub by any means, he is 18-8 during his career; Mullarkey doesn’t necessarily have to worry about taking risks resulting in a quick finish.

Plenty of Fights Planned

The UFC always tries to pack plenty of fights into every card. Here’s a look at the fights not mentioned above that will fill out the preliminary card.

• Light heavyweight: Carlos Ulberg vs. Jung Da Un.
• Featherweight: Jack Jenkins vs. Chepe Mariscal.
• Lightweight: Nasrat Haqparast vs. Landon Quinones.
• Welterweight: Mike Mathetha vs. Charlie Radtke.
• Featherweight: Shane Young vs. Gabriel Miranda.
• Welterweight: Kevin Jousset vs. Kiefer Crosbie.