5 Fights We Need to See After UFC 293
It would be fair to say there was not a lot of hype for UFC 293, which went down this past weekend in Sydney, Australia.
The card was short on big names, with only a handful of ranked contenders on the bill, and the main event, a middleweight title fight between champ Israel Adesanya and challenger Sean Strickland, was supposed to be a wash for the former.
But in the end, the card made up for its lack of star power with some great fights and finishes, and the main event we all thought would be a cakewalk for the champ ended up being a massive upset, with Strickland taking the title via a clear-cut unanimous-decision win.
Strickland's win over Adesanya, who is considered one of the greatest fighters in UFC history, completely upended the middleweight division and opened the door to all kinds of interesting matchup possibilities.
No other victories on the card had anywhere near as much significance, but fighters such as Alexander Volkov, Manel Kape, Tyson Pedro and Carlos Ulberg also picked up wins that should lead to big opportunities in the near future.
Here are five fights we're hoping to see after last weekend's wild event in the Land Down Under.
Sean Strickland vs. Israel Adesanya II
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Sean Strickland's decision victory over Israel Adesanya tracks as one of the biggest upsets we've seen in the Octagon in a long time, and it changes everything at 185 pounds.
Over the course of two title reigns, Adesanya had beaten nearly every contender in the division's rankings, and several of them twice. So long as he had the belt, it was difficult to imagine many of the division's top fighters getting cracks at the title, having already been beaten by the reigning champ.
With Strickland on the throne, those fighters now have new hope—particularly Jared Cannonier, who holds a recent win over the new champ. No. 1 contender Dricus Du Plessis, who was supposed to get his title opportunity before Strickland, also remains in prime position for a title shot.
The most likely option, however, is a rematch between Strickland and Adesanya. The former champ is easily the second-best middleweight in UFC history behind Anderson Silva and would probably be guaranteed a shot at redemption against Strickland had he not lost and reclaimed the title in a two-fight series with Alex Pereira last year.
The UFC may decide it has given him enough second chances, but he remains the division's biggest star and, as we've covered, has beaten most other contenders in the weight class, so it's unlikely the promotion sends him to the back of the line just yet.
Besides, Adesanya really didn't look like himself in Sydney. Maybe he's slowing down, or maybe there were other factors at play. One way or the other, a rematch could be a very different fight, and it would be tense for every second it endured.
Alexander Volkov vs. Derrick Lewis II
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Russian heavyweight contender Alexander Volkov picked up his third consecutive victory at UFC 293, submitting Aussie knockout artist Tai Tuivasa with an extremely rare Ezekiel choke in Round 2 of the co-main event.
With that performance, Volkov will most likely assume Tuivasa's No. 6 spot in the rankings and will only be a win or two from a title shot from the vantage point.
We'd like to see him take another step in that direction against his fellow veteran Derrick Lewis.
Volkov and Lewis are two of the most experienced heavyweights in the UFC at present and have already fought many of the contenders in the Top 15, with mixed results. They have also met each other in the Octagon, in a fight that ended with one of the most dramatic comebacks in UFC history.
Volkov, one of the tallest fighters in the weight class, used his height and range to bank two clear rounds against Lewis and was seconds away from winning the third when he was brutally knocked out by his rival.
It was one of the worst losses of Volkov's career, and one he would surely like to avenge. The No. 10-ranked Lewis, meanwhile, who is back in the win column after a string of losses, would probably love the chance to steal the Russian's spot in the rankings.
Manel Kape vs. Kai Kara-France
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Portuguese flyweight contender Manel Kape was originally set to battle New Zealand's Kai Kara-France on the UFC 293 main card. When Kara-France was forced out of the matchup because of a concussion, however, Kape accepted a fight with short-notice replacement opponent Felipe dos Santos, who was making his UFC debut.
Kape, who reigned as Rizin bantamweight champion before migrating to the UFC, was expected to walk through dos Santos but ultimately had to settle for a unanimous-decision win in one of the best fights on the entire card.
As entertaining as Kape's win over dos Santos was, it's unlikely to do much for his standing in the rankings, given that the Brazilian was a newcomer to the Octagon. As a result, a fight with the No. 5-ranked Kara-France still makes plenty of sense.
After UFC 293, Kape vs. Kara-France is also the biggest grudge match in the weight class at present. Kape had plenty to say about the New Zealander at the card's pre-fight press conference, and even more to say after his victory over dos Santos.
There's some real bad blood between them, and it seems like they're on a collision course for early 2024.
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Tyson Pedro vs. Kennedy Nzechukwu
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Australian light heavyweight Tyson Pedro kicked off the UFC 293 main card with a bang, knocking out Sweden's Anton Turkalj with a jab and follow-up punches just over two minutes into the first round.
It was an important win for Pedro—who lost a decision to Modestas Bukauskas in his last fight—and one that should set him up for a tough test in his next Octagon appearance.
Unfortunately, there aren't a lot of great options for him. Someone like Tanner Boser would have been perfect, but the Canadian just parted ways with the UFC. Ion Cutelaba would also be a good test for Pedro, but the Moldovan is booked for a high-stakes fight with streaking Brazilian contender Philipe Lins.
Of the options available for Pedro, the best bet seems to be Kennedy Nzechukwu. The Nigerian is riding a knockout loss to No. 15 light heavyweight contender Dustin Jacoby but had three straight wins on the board before that and remains a tough challenge for most light heavyweights.
If Pedro can get by him, he'll only be another win or two from the rankings.
Carlos Ulberg vs. Dustin Jacoby
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Carlos Ulberg, who trains alongside Israel Adesanya at City Kickboxing in Auckland, has now won five straight fights—four of those by stoppage. The former kickboxer's latest win came in the final bout of the UFC 293 undercard, when he showed a new side of his game with a last-minute submission of South Korea's Da Un Jung.
Ulberg's streak is one of the best in the weight class at present, and it should be enough to earn the 32-year-old a crack at a ranked foe.
Our pick is No. 15-ranked contender Dustin Jacoby.
Jacoby is riding a knockout win over the aforementioned Nzechukwu and is most likely looking to fight up the rankings but would probably settle for a fight with Ulberg, who now has quite a bit of hype behind him. It makes sense for both fighters based on their recent results.
The real appeal of the fight, though, is that both men are former kickboxers with big power. While they've proved they can grapple, it seems far more likely that this one is contested at kickboxing range and that it ends before the judges are needed.
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