UFC 293 Predictions: Does Israel Adesanya Suffer Upset Loss To Sean Strickland?

HERE WE GO!

UFC 293 is here and MMA Knockout has staff predictions for the main card.

The event will be held inside the Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia. Taking the headlining spot will be Israel Adesanya putting his UFC middleweight title on the line against Sean Strickland. Heavyweights Alexander Volkov and Tai Tuivasa land the co-main event slot.

The main card will also feature Manel Kape vs. Felipe dos Santos, Justin Tafa vs. Austen Lane, and Tyson Pedro vs. Anton Turkalj. Let's jump into our UFC 293 main card predictions.

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Israel Adesanya vs. Sean Strickland

(via ZUffa LLC)

Fernando Quiles Jr: I do believe Strickland is going to try to utilize grappling in his fight, but Adesanya has demonstrated he has solid takedown defense in the middleweight division. I can see Strickland getting desperate once the grappling is ineffective, and swing wild before being iced by a counter combination from "The Last Stylebender." (Pick: Adesanya)

Mathew Riddle: I think that at best Strickland has a puncher's chance in this fight and if he wins it'll be one of the biggest upsets in UFC history. "Tarzan" has shown no ability to improve his flawed skillsets and oddly refuses to incorporate any type of favorable gameplans (i.e. kickboxing with Pereira). If he wants to stand and trade with Izzy, he's just asking to be knocked out. (Pick: Adesanya)

Drew Beaupré: The main narrative around this fight seems to be that Strickland is only getting a title shot because Dricus Du Plessis wasn’t available, but for me one of the more interesting things is the fact that the challenger doesn’t seem to actually care if he wins the belt or not. A veteran like Strickland is obviously going to show up and perform on fight night, but unless he’s able to outwork Adesanya on the feet I’m not expecting him to pull out any surprises that could help him score an upset. (Pick: Adesanya)

Consensus: 3-0, Israel Adesanya

Alexander Volkov vs. Tai Tuivasa

(via UFC broadcast)

Fernando Quiles Jr: From a technical standpoint, this is Volkov's fight to lose. Tuivasa has the power to shut off anyone's lights, however, so Volkov will want to avoid a repeat of his 2018 knockout loss against Derrick Lewis. In this case, however, I see Volkov not allowing Tuivasa to close the distance and finishing him late via TKO. (Pick: Volkov)

Mathew Riddle: Don't get me wrong there's always a chance of a Tuivasa KO, he's got great leg kicks and Volkov has tree trunks for thighs. I see it like this, Volkov knows how to use his 6'10 frame, he has some of the nastiest teeps in the UFC and seems to be finding his power. Tai struggles with body shots and I believe Volkov plays the long game by stabbing "Bam Bam" to the body. (Pick: Volkov)

Drew Beaupré: Even though Tuivasa is a welcome addition to any UFC card in Australia, putting someone on a two-fight losing streak in the co-main event slot of a PPV is a bit of a surprising move. Volkov has finished back-to-back opponents in the first round and won’t get a title shot if he wins here, but a three-fight winning streak could at least put him in the mix of heavyweights vying for a number one contender bout. Even if this fight is going to be visually reminiscent of Stefan Struve vs. Mark Hunt, I expect Volkov to use his length and keep Tuivasa from getting close enough to land anything big. (Pick: Volkov)

Consensus: 3-0, Alexander Volkov

Manel Kape vs. Felipe dos Santos

Fernando Quiles Jr: This is probably a case of too much, too soon for Santos. It's easy to see why the UFC could get behind a guy like Santos in the future due to his exciting style. This early on, however, I think it's a recipe for disaster with Kape's counter striking. I expect Santos to have the crowd entertained in the early going, but Kape will put a halt to the noise. (Pick: Kape)

Mathew Riddle: As much as I want to go with the Chute Boxe student Santos, I can't pick him as the short-notice replacement opponent who was meant to debut on DWCS. We've seen how well Kape performs in the UFC, and he's hungry for a victory after a slew of cancellations. (Pick: Kape)

Drew Beaupré: Manel Kape has admittedly had terrible luck with high-profile matchups falling through, but the way that he talks about the other members of the flyweight division is a little questionable considering he hasn’t beaten anyone currently ranked in the Top 15. “Starboy” is still a brutal opponent for a fighter to take on in their UFC debut, and while I expect dos Santos to make this entertaining for as long as it lasts Kape should walk away with his fourth win in a row. (Pick: Kape)

Consensus: 3-0, Manel Kape

Justin Tafa vs. Austen Lane

Fernando Quiles Jr: I expect this one to end early given the aggressiveness both fighters display. Lane has the edge in athleticism, but I think Tafa will catch him on the chin and end this one in the opening frame. (Pick: Tafa)

Mathew Riddle: At the very least, Lane seemed to land a few shots before the eye poke in their first fight. (Pick: Lane)

Drew Beaupré: I understand the need to run this fight back after the way things ended in June, however the rematch has no place on a PPV main card considering both men are unranked and Lane only has a combined one round of Octagon time between his UFC debut and Contender Series win. Eryk Anders has shown us how much the UFC loves to promote fighters that previously had successful football careers, but unfortunately for Lane this feels like a setup for his Australian opponent to get a big win in Sydney. (Pick: Tafa)

Consensus: 2-1, Justin Tafa

Tyson Pedro vs. Anton Turkalj

Fernando Quiles Jr: I think Pedro will be aggressive to start the fight, but Turkalj will find his groove with the takedowns. At that point, Pedro will likely have emptied out the gas tank, allowing Turkalj to either ground and pound him until the referee stops the fight or cruise to a decision win. (Pick: Turkalj)

Mathew Riddle: This is definitely a fight set up for Pedro to win, but It's not as simple as that. A fighter is only as good as his last fight, and Pedro showed a great lack of cardio in his last outing against Baukauskas. Turkalj on the other hand showed great promise against Vitor Petrino --- a decent LHW prospect--- in their three-round slugfest. It's a risky one, but Turkalj might just out-dog Pedro for the UD. (Pick: Turkalj)

Drew Beaupré: The momentum Pedro collected in his return last year was halted at the UFC’s last visit to Australia in February, and now the 32-year-old has a chance to kick off a PPV main card against an opponent that’s 0-2 since joining the promotion. Turkalj’s finishing skills are what caught the attention of the UFC and got him a call for Contender Series, but as long as Pedro doesn’t get too reckless in the early going I’ll take him to get back into the win column here. (Pick: Pedro)

Consensus: 2-1, Anton Turkalj

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