UFC 293: Strickland dethrones Adesanya in huge upset, wins middleweight title

Reported by ESPN:

And new.

Sean Strickland shocked the world on Sunday afternoon in Australia as he dominated Israel Adesanya to become the new UFC middleweight champion. Strickland, who won 49-46 on all three judges’ scorecards, closed as a +500 underdog, the largest title fight upset in UFC middleweight history

“I gave up so many brain cells to the MMA gods everyday,” Strickland said in a post-fight interview. “This is the first time I’m lost for words.”

Strickland entered the fight with the best strike defense among active middleweights at 62.4%. Unofficially, Strickland defended 65% of Adesanya’s strikes throughout the five rounds and caused Adesanya to land just 24 of 178 head strike attempts, (14%) according to ESPN Stats and Information.

In the co-main event, Alexander Volkov landed one of the more obscure submissions in MMA history as he executed an Ezekiel Choke on Tai Tuivasa to earn a big win in the heavyweight division.

ESPN MMA correspondents Marc Raimondi and Brett Okamoto break down all the drama from an action-packed night in Sydney.

Source:ESPN