Is Sean Strickland beating Israel Adesanya the biggest upset in UFC history? Significance of the moment explained
Sean Strickland has just defied the odds to secure the UFC middleweight championship. UFC 293 was meant to be a showcase for Israel Adesanya, one of the most active champions in the promotion. However, things couldn't have gone any worse for 'The Last Stylebender', and any better for Sean Strickland.
The two men stepped inside the octagon in the UFC's first event in Sydney, Australia since 2017. They competed for the middleweight title that Israel Adesanya has had a stranglehold over, barring a loss to Alex Pereira, since his highlight-reel knockout win over Robert Whittaker in 2019 at UFC 243.
No one gave Strickland a chance heading into the bout, but the logic behind his naysayers can't be faulted. Adesanya is widely recognized as one of the greatest strikers in the entire sport, with deceptive knockout power, lightning-quick movement, slick footwork, and a size advantage over almost any other middleweight.
Sean Strickland, on the other hand, came into the fight with the reputation of a generalist. He's competent at everything but remarkable at nothing. He is widely dismissed as a pillow-fisted puncher, who doesn't check low kicks (one of Adesanya's greatest weapons) and has no strong wrestling to speak of.
No one believed him capable of hurting the man who walked through former heavyweight Jared Cannonier's punches. No one thought him capable of outstriking the man who has twice outworked Robert Whittaker on the feet. Yet, Sean Strickland did both of those things.
He came into the fight with a little over a month to prepare for one of the greatest middleweights of all time, endured a brutal weight cut, and stepped into the cage to face Adesanya in enemy territory. He wasn't supposed to win, he was just a short-notice replacement for Dricus Du Plessis, Israel Adesanya's original foe.
Instead, 'Tarzan' dropped Adesanya in the first round and outstruck him for the rest of the bout, forcing the champion onto the backfoot and making him look like the challenger. It wasn't a flash knockout that could be ruled a fluke, nor did he sink in a submission after losing several rounds.
Strickland won outright, and it may very well be the greatest upset in UFC history. He was never regarded as a true title threat like Chris Weidman was to Anderson Silva due to the strength of his wrestling and his undefeated record, nor was he Michael Bisping facing a champion with no title defenses like Luke Rockhold.
Sean Strickland outclassed a two-time UFC middleweight champion with five title defenses to his name and a legacy that had some wondering if he had surpassed Anderson Silva as the middleweight GOAT.