The UFC returns to the Land Down Under for UFC 293. The main event sees Middleweight Champion and New Zealander Israel Adesanya take on a new challenger in Sean Strickland, and the betting line has moved toward the favorite in early wagering action.
Here, we look at UFC 293 odds, with props and predictions to come as we get closer to the fight.
UFC 293 Main Event Odds
The top sportsbook apps are pricing the champ as a sizable favorite for as high as on the moneyline. Underdog Strickland comes in at . Total rounds for the match are set at .
UFC 293 Betting Preview: Adesanya vs. Strickland
Adesanya Excited to Face a Fresh Face
For Israel Adesanya (24-2 MMA, 13-2 UFC), it’s time for a new chapter.
Now that Alex Pereira has moved up to light heavyweight, their MMA trilogy (and fifth combat sports bout overall) is on hold for now.
Originally, talks for this main event were to be between Adesanya and South Africa’s Dricus Du Plessis. And when that matchup happens, that should be a heated one.
But for Adesanya, a new opponent is great no matter who it is. He has spent a lot of his UFC time in rematches. He’s faced Pereira, Robert Whittaker, and Marvin Vettori twice. In fact, four of his last six fights have been against opponents he has faced before.
Adesanya had been calling for this matchup before Du Plessis beat Whittaker and it’s probably because of that this matchup is here now.
As the sportsbooks are suggesting, Adesanya is the better mixed martial artist. But because it is MMA, anything can happen.
However, Adesanya has more well-rounded skills and is the better striker due to his kickboxing and Muay Thai background. And he just recently reminded everyone of that when he knocked out Pereira, bringing the series to 1-3. There’s still a chance he can crawl back and win games five, six, and seven.
If Adesanya wins, there are multiple possibilities: 1) He could face Du Plessis next, 2) He waits to see if Pereira gets a light heavyweight title shot and wins, and then Adesanya moves up again to try and become champ champ, or 3) He could do both of those things in that order.
But one thing is for certain: Adesanya stays active and the UFC and fans don’t appreciate it enough.
Strickland Looks to Take Advantage of Big Opportunity
Let’s be honest: The UFC never wanted Sean Strickland (27-5 MMA, 14-5 UFC) to be this successful.
Strickland has a mouth. And not a mouth like Conor McGregor or Sean O’Malley where the UFC is fully behind them. He is offensive almost anytime he opens his mouth and he is just extremely ignorant. But damn it, he just keeps finding ways to win fights. Plus, luckily for him, Adesanya has fought almost everyone at the top of the division minus him and Du Plessis.
So here we are.
Strickland is coming off back-to-back wins over rising prospects that were supposed to beat him. He won an impressive decision over Nassourdine Imavov at light heavyweight nonetheless and knocked out Abusupiyan Magomedov.
Prior to that, he had back-to-back losses against Izzy’s last two title contenders in Pereira and Jared Cannonier. And the fight against Pereira ended in a brutal knockout that will forever be the first clip on Pereira’s UFC highlight reel.
And outside of that, the man has endless decision wins due to his unorthodox, parrot fish style of fighting where he pecks in and jabs out, making contact and winning rounds.
The worst-case scenario is this fight is another middleweight sleeper. We’ve seen quite a few between both guys headlining this card because their striking styles are similar. Hopefully, we see one of these guys sleep the other instead.
UFC 293: Adesanya vs. Strickland Props
UFC 293 Event Info
- Location: Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney, Australia
- Date: Saturday, Sept. 9, 2023
- Start Time: Main Card at 10 p.m. ET
- Where to Watch: ESPN+ PPV
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