Sean Strickland proved that anything can happen inside the octagon.

By Anthony Collazo

Sean Strickland pulled off one of the greatest upsets in history. Strickland, the fifth ranked middleweight contender, dismantled Israel “The Last Stylebender” Adesanya to become the fourteenth middleweight champion.

In the first event held in Sydney, Australia since 2014, Strickland challenged Adesanya, the middleweight champion. Strickland suffered two consecutive losses to Alex Pereira and Jared Cannonier in 2022, then bounced back with two big victories against Nassourdine Imanov and Abus Magomedov in 2023.

Adesanya was originally set to face Driscus Du Plessis, at The Ultimate Fighting Championship, UFC 293. But after Du Plessis pulled out of the fight with a foot injury, Dana White looked for another opponent to compete against Adesanya. After some controversy, Strickland was eventually given the title shot.

In Strickland’s training camp to prepare for Adesanya, he decided to train with a fighter who not only beat him but also beat Adesanya three times, Alex Pereira. Pereira beat Adesanya twice in kickboxing and once in MMA.

In the leadup to UFC 293, the betting odds had Strickland as a massive underdog. Strickland at +460, and Adesanya a -650 favorite, Adesanya was projected to have an immense night.

Strickland created a masterful game plan coming into the fight. Walking Adesanya down by using a very simple jab to keep Adesanya on his backfoot. On the defensive side, Strickland employed the Philly Shell technique, which is not commonly used in Mixed Martial Arts, MMA.

At the tail end of the first round, Strickland landed a beautiful 1-2 combination, knocking Adesanya down to the canvas for the first time in his UFC career. This knockdown would set the tone for the rest of the fight.

At the end of five rounds, Strickland had shocked the world, winning by unanimous decision. It was a dominating performance, 49-46 on all three judges' scorecards, dethroning the Last Stylebender. Strickland’s win is the largest betting upset in UFC Middleweight title fight history.

It will be interesting to see who Strickland will face in his first title defense bout in the coming months

Sean Strickland Defies The Odds