Sean Strickland dropped and nearly finished Israel Adesanya late in the first round of their middleweight title fight Sunday in Sydney, Australia, in the main event of UFC 293.
Strickland then went on to score one of the biggest upsets in UFC history by winning a unanimous decision over Adesanya largely by defusing Adesanya’s offense. It was a jab and a right hand and a great defense that led Strickland to the win.
Judges scored it 49-46 on all cards for Strickland. Yahoo Sports had it 49-46 for Strickland, giving Adesanya only the second round.
“You guys, you know Izzy is a bad mother f***er, you guys,” Strickland said in the cage after the decision was announced.