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UFC 308 takes place Saturday, so it's time to break down the top fights, plus make DFS picks and predictions for the key matchups on the card.
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Championship challenger for UFC 305
Adesanya is scheduled to challenge Dricus du Plessis for the UFC Middleweight Championship at UFC 305 in Perth on Aug. 18, per Adesanya's announcement Monday.
ANALYSIS
Just over eight months after announcing a hiatus, Adesanya is ready to fight again and will have an immediate opportunity for the UFC Middleweight Championship. Strickland is no longer champion after he himself lost the title to du Plessis, who was expected to be Adesanya's initial opponent for UFC 293. Even with an upset loss to Strickland, Adesanya has the striking profile and resume to be considered a favorite against DDP. However, du Plessis' rise has been meteoric, with his 7-0 UFC run also including TKO finishes to Derek Brunson and Robert Whittaker, just like Adesanya.
Just over eight months after announcing a hiatus, Adesanya is ready to fight again and will have an immediate opportunity for the UFC Middleweight Championship. Strickland is no longer champion after he himself lost the title to du Plessis, who was expected to be Adesanya's initial opponent for UFC 293. Even with an upset loss to Strickland, Adesanya has the striking profile and resume to be considered a favorite against DDP. However, du Plessis' rise has been meteoric, with his 7-0 UFC run also including TKO finishes to Derek Brunson and Robert Whittaker, just like Adesanya.
Taking hiatus
Adesanya recently said on "The Rock" podcast that he's "not going to fight for a long time" following his loss to Sean Strickland at UFC 293 in September, Mike Bohn of USA ToDay reports.
ANALYSIS
Strickland won the UFC Middleweight Championship in that bout, which Adesanya's second loss in his past three fights. Adesanya has been busy either defending or attempting to retake that title over the past few years, and he'll step away from the Octagon for a bit. He also said he's "definitely not going to retire," though it's unclear how long it will be before he returns to action.
Strickland won the UFC Middleweight Championship in that bout, which Adesanya's second loss in his past three fights. Adesanya has been busy either defending or attempting to retake that title over the past few years, and he'll step away from the Octagon for a bit. He also said he's "definitely not going to retire," though it's unclear how long it will be before he returns to action.
Drops title in absolute stunner
Adesanya lost his UFC Middleweight Championship on Saturday, falling to Sean Strickland via unanimous decision (46-49, 46-49, 46-49) at UFC 293 in Sydney, Australia.
ANALYSIS
It was unquestionably the worst performance we have seen from Adesanya since he joined the UFC in February 2018. He appeared comfortable in Round 2, but other than that, Strickland dominated this fight the entire way. In truth, Izzy was lucky to survive Round 1. He was dropped by Strickland late in the frame and appeared to be in dire straits, but referee Marc Goddard didn't come remotely close to stopping the bout, allowing Adesanya to work through it. It was the first time in Izzy's UFC run that he'd been knocked down. Those trademark counters Adesanya is known for never materialized with Strickland in his face pushing the pace for 25 minutes. There's not much else to say. Izzy simply got beat here, and beat handily. Adesanya has always been one of the most active champions around. Heck, he's now fought three times since last November. It's fair to wonder if it finally caught up to him. Izzy turned 34 years of age this past July and has now lost two of his last three.
It was unquestionably the worst performance we have seen from Adesanya since he joined the UFC in February 2018. He appeared comfortable in Round 2, but other than that, Strickland dominated this fight the entire way. In truth, Izzy was lucky to survive Round 1. He was dropped by Strickland late in the frame and appeared to be in dire straits, but referee Marc Goddard didn't come remotely close to stopping the bout, allowing Adesanya to work through it. It was the first time in Izzy's UFC run that he'd been knocked down. Those trademark counters Adesanya is known for never materialized with Strickland in his face pushing the pace for 25 minutes. There's not much else to say. Izzy simply got beat here, and beat handily. Adesanya has always been one of the most active champions around. Heck, he's now fought three times since last November. It's fair to wonder if it finally caught up to him. Izzy turned 34 years of age this past July and has now lost two of his last three.
Will defend title against Strickland
Adesanya will look to defend his UFC Middleweight title at UFC 293 on Sept. 9 against Sean Strickland, MMA reporter Ariel Helwani reports.
ANALYSIS
Adesanya wanted to face off against Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 293, but Du Plesis was unavailable due to a lingering injury in which Adesanya took to social media to call him out. Sean Strickland was the clear next choice to square off with the UFC Middleweight champ as he looks to defend his title for the first time since regaining the belt back in April against Alex Pereira. Strickland is the No. 7 ranked middleweight who is coming off a victory over Abus Magomedov.
Adesanya wanted to face off against Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 293, but Du Plesis was unavailable due to a lingering injury in which Adesanya took to social media to call him out. Sean Strickland was the clear next choice to square off with the UFC Middleweight champ as he looks to defend his title for the first time since regaining the belt back in April against Alex Pereira. Strickland is the No. 7 ranked middleweight who is coming off a victory over Abus Magomedov.
Regains UFC middleweight gold
Adesanya regained the UFC Middleweight Championship on Saturday, defeating Alex Pereira via KO (punches) at 4:24 of Round 2 at UFC 287 in Miami.
ANALYSIS
The finish was overwhelming and impressive, but the truth of the matter is that the vast majority of this bout was, like the first fight between the two, a closely-contested affair in which neither man was able to pull away. All three judges scored the opening round for Izzy, although it was a true toss-up. Adesanya landed the bigger blows, while Pereira consistently damaged Izzy's legs with low kicks -- something that was an issue for Adesanya in the first fight. Izzy appeared to be in serious trouble late in Round 2 after being pinned along the fence, only to fire off a brutal one-two combination, which, combined with a follow-up hammer first, knocked Pereira out cold. The exhilarating finish would go on to earn Izzy a $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus. As good as Adesanya has been over the years, he hasn't been known as a guy with instant stopping power in his hands, making this finish even more unlikely. The bottom line is that these two have fought nearly seven rounds against each other over the course of the past five months and there's very little separating the two. It's clearly a marketable matchup, so don't be surprised if the UFC schedules a rubber match between the two with the series tied 1-1.
The finish was overwhelming and impressive, but the truth of the matter is that the vast majority of this bout was, like the first fight between the two, a closely-contested affair in which neither man was able to pull away. All three judges scored the opening round for Izzy, although it was a true toss-up. Adesanya landed the bigger blows, while Pereira consistently damaged Izzy's legs with low kicks -- something that was an issue for Adesanya in the first fight. Izzy appeared to be in serious trouble late in Round 2 after being pinned along the fence, only to fire off a brutal one-two combination, which, combined with a follow-up hammer first, knocked Pereira out cold. The exhilarating finish would go on to earn Izzy a $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus. As good as Adesanya has been over the years, he hasn't been known as a guy with instant stopping power in his hands, making this finish even more unlikely. The bottom line is that these two have fought nearly seven rounds against each other over the course of the past five months and there's very little separating the two. It's clearly a marketable matchup, so don't be surprised if the UFC schedules a rubber match between the two with the series tied 1-1.