Israel Adesanya will begin his second stint of defending the UFC Middleweight title against Sean Strickland in September.
Adesanya was expected to face Dricus Du Plessis to headline UFC 293 in Sydney, however, Strickland will be awarded a shot at the title at his expense due to injury.
Adesanya is a heavy favorite
Du Plessis would have certainly been a stronger opponent for Adesayna. Strickland will be no walkover but Adesayna should have no problems achieving victory against the American. In sports betting, the Last Stylebender is offered at -400 to make a successful start to his title defense.
Israel Adesanya will defend his middleweight title against Sean Strickland at UFC 293 in Sydney, Australia, UFC announced Tuesday. pic.twitter.com/IviXAe3ivx
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) August 8, 2023
Stylistically, Adesanya has huge advantages over his upcoming opponent - he is much quicker on his feet and his frontside feint is sure to be difficult for an older fighter to cope with.
Adesanya also has a three-inch height advantage standing at 6'4 compared to Strickland's 6'1 frame. He also has a four-inch reach advantage, making him more likely to land significant strikes. The height disparity is ideal for Adesanya's hands-down striking approach.
Strickland's greatest chance of causing an upset could be by taking the fight to the ground. However, Adesayna's takedown defense rate of 77% suggests he could have difficulties in forcing the dynamic striker to the mat.
Adesanya's last title defense
Adesayna first claimed the Middleweight title back in 2019 against Robert Whittaker at UFC 243 via a knockout blow in round two.
He managed five successful defenses of his belt, including in a rematch against Whittaker at UFC 271 last year. Wins by unanimous decision were also recorded against the likes of Jared Cannonier and Marvin Vettori.
Adesanya was completely dominant within his division until he met Alex Pereira at UFC 281 last November. Pereira knocked out Adesanya in the fifth round - the only occasion such a defeat has been inflicted on the Last Stylebender.
Pereira ended a four-year stretch of Adesanya being unbeaten in the UFC's middleweight division. The man that seemed untouchable was finally dealt a cruel blow at the hands of the Brazilian.
Middleweight champion again
Adesayna's last appearance in the octagon was in UFC 287 in April. He had the chance to reclaim his Middleweight belt after losing it to Pereira five months earlier.
He produced a dominant performance in which Pereira struggled to inflict any damage on his opponent. Adesanya's victory was confirmed in the second round when a strong punch left the Brazilian rooted to the Octagon mat.
Alex Pereira is not keen on facing rival Israel Adesanya at 205 pounds.#UFC291 Full story: https://t.co/uMSFpbDVRj pic.twitter.com/S98RtNzNbu
— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) July 31, 2023
Adesayna proved that the defeat to the Brazilian was nothing more than a blip in his UFC career. Now a period of dominance will likely begin again. Pereira has even switched divisions since, suggesting Adesanya's presence in the middleweight division is too strong to compete with.
Now Adesayna will look to hold the middleweight title for perhaps even longer than he did in his first stint as a UFC champion.
Victory against Strickland will surely be a formality, and simply a chance for the Last Stylebender to continue his momentum, and look to strengthen his legacy within the sport once again.
