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          UFC 293: Sean Strickland dethrones Israel Adesanya in huge upset, wins middleweight title

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          Sean Strickland beats up on Israel Adesanya en route to shocking upset (1:50)

          Sean Strickland shocks the world and upsets Israel Adesanya to win the UFC middleweight championship. (1:50)

          • Marc Raimondi
          • Brett Okamoto
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            Brett Okamoto
            ESPN Staff Writer
            • MMA columnist for ESPN.com
            • Analyst for "MMA Live"
            • Covered MMA for Las Vegas Sun
          Sep 10, 2023, 03:09 AM

          Sean Strickland shocked the world on Sunday afternoon in Australia as he dominated Israel Adesanya to become the new UFC middleweight champion. Strickland, who won 49-46 on all three judges' scorecards, closed as a +500 underdog, the largest title fight upset in UFC middleweight history

          "I gave up so many brain cells to the MMA gods every day," Strickland said in a postfight interview. "This is the first time I'm lost for words."

          Strickland entered the fight with the best strike defense among active middleweights at 62.4%. Unofficially, Strickland defended 65% of Adesanya's strikes throughout the five rounds and caused Adesanya to land just 24 of 178 head strike attempts, (14%) according to ESPN Stats & Information.

          In the co-main event, Alexander Volkov landed one of the more obscure submissions in MMA history as he executed an Ezekiel choke on Tai Tuivasa to earn a big win in the heavyweight division.

          ESPN MMA correspondents Marc Raimondi and Brett Okamoto break down all the drama from an action-packed night in Sydney.