5 fights to make after UFC 293: Israel Adesanya vs. Sean Strickland

UFC 293 went down in Sydney last night, and in the end, it turned out to be a monumental show with a huge title change.

UFC 293 saw Sean Strickland shock the work by dethroning Israel Adesanya for the middleweight title, so what lies in the future for him?

It’s a fair question to ask, and it’s also a fair one to ask about the other stars from last night’s event.

With that in mind, here are five fights to make following UFC 293: Israel Adesanya vs. Sean Strickland.

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#5. UFC light-heavyweight bout: Carlos Ulberg vs. Ryan Spann

Carlos Ulberg has earned a shot at breaking into the top fifteen at 205lbs [Image Credit: @ufc on Instagram]

One of last night’s most impressive fighters was rising light-heavyweight star Carlos Ulberg. ‘Black Jag’ picked up his fifth win in a row by choking out Da Un Jung, giving him the UFC’s longest winning streak at 205lbs.

Right now, Ulberg is not ranked in the top fifteen, but that might change after this weekend. If it doesn’t, he still deserves a shot at a ranked opponent in his next bout.

One name that might make sense in terms of a foe could be Ryan Spann. ‘Superman’ suffered a loss to Anthony Smith last month, but is still a viable contender in the division thanks to his explosive offense.

It could be argued, though, that Ulberg, with his cleaner striking, heavy power and improving ground game would be favoured to beat him. Given that Spann is ranked at No.10, if ‘Black Jag’ could pull it off, it’d be an impressive feat.

Is Ulberg ready? That’s debatable, but at the age of 32, his window for success isn’t huge, so it’s time to push him up the ladder and find out how he gets on.

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#4. UFC flyweight bout: Manel Kape vs. Kai Kara-France

Manel Kape still has Kai Kara-France in his sights [Image Credit: @ufc on Instagram]

One of UFC 293’s most highly-anticipated bouts would’ve seen No.10 ranked flyweight Manel Kape stepping up the ladder to take on No.5 ranked Kai Kara-France.

Unfortunately, ‘Don’t Blink’ was forced out of the booking, leaving Kape to defeat newcomer Felipe dos Santos in an entertaining fight instead.

However, it appears that ‘Starboy’ hasn’t forgotten or moved on from Kara-France just yet. Not only did he take some shots at him during Friday’s press conference, but he also called him out last night, unfortunately using a homophobic slur in the process.

Kape may yet find himself in hot water for his use of the offensive word, but the call-out of Kara-France worked to build the fight up, and hopefully, the promotion’s matchmakers can follow up by making it for later in 2023.

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#3. UFC heavyweight bout: Alexander Volkov vs. Curtis Blaydes or Jailton Almeida

Could Alexander Volkov and Curtis Blaydes rematch in the future? [Image Credit: @razorblaydes265 on Instagram]

No.7 ranked heavyweight Alexander Volkov picked up a big win over No.6 Tai Tuivasa last night, disposing him with a rare Ezekiel choke in the second round of their bout.

It’s likely that at worst, ‘Drago’ will now leapfrog Tuivasa to take his spot, but who he faces next is a little trickier to call.

Volkov has been in the UFC since 2016, meaning he’s already fought most of the ranked fighters around him. Realistically, nobody would want to see him face Tom Aspinall or Ciryl Gane again, for instance.

One fight that could make sense, though, would pit him against the winner of November’s bout between Curtis Blaydes and Jailton Almeida.

Volkov has already fought Blaydes, but it was a relatively close fight that saw ‘Drago’ come on strong at the end, only to come up a little short on the scorecards.

Almeida, meanwhile, is one of the hottest prospects in the division, and if he can get past Blaydes’ wrestling, a test against Volkov’s monstrous size and striking would definitely be fascinating.

Overall, this one would clearly be the most logical fight for the Russian to pursue next.

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#2. UFC middleweight bout: Israel Adesanya vs. Dricus du Plessis

Following his title loss, who should Israel Adesanya face next? [Image Credit: @ufc on Instagram]

Israel Adesanya suffered what was probably the biggest loss of his career at UFC 293, falling to Sean Strickland in what was a major upset.

Sure, he wasn’t finished like he was against Alex Pereira in 2022, but he was still out-fought by a huge underdog, and never really came close to turning things around after being dropped in the first round.

Dana White has already suggested that an immediate rematch ought to happen, but the matchmakers could easily go in another direction.

Instead of letting him look to reclaim the title, Adesanya could be pitted against top contender Dricus du Plessis in what would be a huge bout.

The two men have built their rivalry for some time now, and with racial undertones surrounding the whole thing, it’s a fight that everyone wants to see.

If the promotion could put this fight together, even as a non-title affair, it could easily headline a major show – and the winner could then go onto fight for the title regardless.

Overall, Adesanya vs. du Plessis makes too much sense to put off for any longer, meaning Strickland would be free to defend his newly-won crown against someone else.

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#1. UFC middleweight title: Sean Strickland vs. Khamzat Chimaev or Paulo Costa

Who should Sean Strickland's first title defense come up against? [Image Credit: @ufc on Twitter]

If Israel Adesanya were to be matched with Dricus du Plessis, who would Sean Strickland then defend his newly-won middleweight title against?

It’s a fair question, especially as ‘Tarzan’ was never expected to become a champion, instead claiming the gold in one of the UFC’s all-time greatest upsets.

Jared Cannonier holds a recent win over Strickland and will probably be gunning for another crack at him, while Alex Pereira could make another run at the title too, if he could make 185lbs again.

However, perhaps the best fight for ‘Tarzan’ would be a bout against the winner of the upcoming clash between Khamzat Chimaev and Paulo Costa.

This would particularly make sense should Chimaev win, as ‘Borz’ would provide Strickland with a fascinating test thanks to his insane pace, takedowns and grappling.

Costa would be a fair challenge for him too; ‘The Eraser’ hits insanely hard and would definitely provide a dangerous foe for the new champion.

If it’s possible, though, Strickland vs. Chimaev would be fantastic, meaning the matchmakers should book it if they can.

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