Sean Strickland set a pace an all-time great could not match and authored one of the biggest upsets in Ultimate Fighting Championship history against Israel Adesanya.
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.
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.
