Sean Strickland will try to shock the world on Saturday night when he takes on UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya in the main event of UFC 293. Strickland is a heavy underdog as he takes on one of the sport’s pound-for-pound best at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney.
Adesanya is on his second run as champion and making the first defense of the title since regaining it with a knockout of Alex Pereira. In his first run as champion, Adesanya successfully defended the title five times.
“He’s talking all this shit, but he should be grateful. I got him his first passport. I got him his first flight out of his country. I got him this big-money fight,” Adesanya said at the final press conference this week. “He tries to act like a tough guy, but there’s no danger with him. He’s that idiot at the back of the class who talks over you and talks loud just to get his point across.”
Elsewhere on the card, the co-main event sees native son Tai Tuivasa return against hard-hitting Russian heavyweight Alexander Volkov. Tuivasa enters on a two-fight losing skid, but he’s always game to produce fireworks, especially in front of his hometown fans in Australia. Plus, flyweight Manel Kape takes on debutant Felipe dos Santos. And Aussie stars Tyson Pedro and Justin Tafa are also back in action on the main card.
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Plus, flyweight Manel Kape takes on debutant Felipe dos Santos. Kape was expected to face Kai Kara-France in what was supposed to be a massive fight for the division’s title implications. But Kara-France suffered a knockout in training camp and decided to withdraw from the bout for his own health and safety. Now, Kape needs to take care of business in hopes of continuing to climb the ladder at 125 pounds.
CBS Sports will also have live coverage of the fight with round-by-round scoring and blow-by-blow updates to keep you up to date throughout the night.
Below is all the information you need to catch UFC 293 on Saturday night.
How to watch UFC 293 prelims
Date: Sept. 9 | Location: Qudos Bank Arena — Sydney, Australia
Time: 8 p.m. ET (6 p.m. ET for early prelims)
Channel: ESPN News | Stream: fubo (Try for free)
How to watch UFC 293 main card
Date: Sept. 9 | Location: Qudos Bank Arena — Sydney, Australia
Time: 10 p.m. ET
Stream: ESPN+ PPV | Price: $79.99
Now, here’s a look at the UFC 293 main fight card and betting odds.
UFC 293 main card, odds
| Favorite | Underdog | Weightclass |
|---|---|---|
| Israel Adesanya (c) -650 | Sean Strickland +460 | Middleweight title |
| Alexander Volkov -250 | Tai Tuivasa +205 | Heavyweight |
| Manel Kape -380 | Felipe dos Santos +300 | Flyweights |
| Justin Tafa -220 | Austen Lane +180 | Heavyweights |
| Tyson Pedro -120 | Anton Turkalj +100 | Light heavyweights |
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