UFC 293 Preview
Israel Adesanya cracks Marvin Vettori with a right hand. Credit: MMA Fighting.
This Saturday the UFC returns to Australia with an intriguing card. In the main event, Israel Adesanya defends his title against the always-game Sean Strickland. In the co-main event we’ll see two top 10 heavyweights slug it out with hopes of reigniting their title runs. Preceding this fights are a handful of finishers and debuting fighters all vying to make their name on a main card.
Tyson Pedro vs. Anton Turkalj
Tyson Pedro unloads punches on Ike Villanueva. Credit: The Inner Sanctum.
Light Heavyweight Bout
Tyson Pedro: 9-4-0, 4 KO/TKO, 5 Sub.
Anton Turkalj: 8-2-0, 5 KO/TKO, 2 Sub.
Pedro has won two of his last five outings, with his best wins coming over #11 ranked Light Heavyweight Khalil Rountree Jr. (13-5-0) and #13 ranked Middleweight Paul Craig (17-6-1). He is a devastating striker with serious power in everything he throws. He has an excellent arsenal of attacks with particularly damaging head and leg kicks, which he’ll set up with constant feinting and movement. Pedro has great speed for the division and is excellent at using his length, regularly landing damage from distance. While he won’t often initiate grappling exchanges, he is a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and possesses a solid submission and takedown game. Training at Lions High Performance Centre, he is patient and technical, never rushing in or overextending on his shots. Pedro has excellent knees and varies his shots, attacking the head and body evenly. While he won’t often put out much volume in terms of strikes, he makes up for it with one-shot knockout power.
Anton Turkalj exchanges punches with Vitor Petrino. Credit: MMA Fighting.
Turkalj has won three of his last five bouts, most recently being a Contender Series victory over Acacio Dos Santos (15-6-0). He is a highly durable grappler willing to engage no matter where the fight goes. Preferring power over volume when striking, he’ll typically throw leg kicks from range before crashing in with punches, usually looking to clinch up. Turkalj has a solid chin and is willing to eat a shot to land one, spending much of his time on the feet brawling in the pocket. Training at GBG MMA, he’ll usually shoot early and has solid clinch takedowns. He transitions quickly on the ground, with particularly fast backtakes, and prefers submissions to ground and pound. Turkalj has great cardio and is willing to work to take it to the mat, landing 11 takedowns in his Contender Series appearance.
Justin Tafa vs. Austen Lane
Justin Tafa lands a left hand on Parker Porter. Credit: MMA Fighting.
Heavyweight Bout
Justin Tafa: 6-3-0, 6 KO/TKO, 0 Sub.
Austen Lane: 12-3-0, 11 KO/TKO, 1 Sub.
Tafa has won three of his last five fights, with his UFC victories coming over Parker Porter (14-8-0), Harry Hunsucker (7-6-0), and Juan Adams (10-5-0). With a style reminiscent of his training partner Mark Hunt, he loves to brawl and has one-shot knockout power. He has an excellent chin and constantly throws bombs, often opening combinations with leg kicks. Training at NTG Fight, Tafa is a patient striker who will look for openings but is willing to eat one to land one. He has never been taken down in the UFC or attempted a takedown, so he prefers to keep it on the feet. He has finished all of his wins, and in UFC fights that left the first round, he averaged 80 significant strikes landed. Tafa has shown he has the cardio to go 15 minutes, but two of his three career losses have come by decision, so he’s at his best early on.
Austen Lane lands a body kick on Richard Jacobi (6-1-1). Credit: Zuffa LLC.
Lane enters this fight technically on a six-fight win streak, with this bout being a rematch of his UFC debut, which ended in a No Contest. Lane is a lengthy striker who opens up with a barrage of kicks before blitzing in to unleash combinations. He’s very explosive, throws everything in combination, and spends much of his time in the cage brawling inside the pocket. Training at Bulldog Boxing, he has solid power in his hands and decent cardio, carrying his punching capacity across 15 minutes. Lane is a former NFL player and has finished all his wins, with only two fights in his career seeing a second round. While he won’t typically engage in grappling exchanges, he will throw heavy ground-and-pound if he finds himself in top position. He has shown an ability to survive off his back and will pursue submissions if given the opportunity.
#10 Manel Kape vs. Felipe Dos Santos
Manel Kape finishes off Ode Osbourne with ground and pound. Credit: MMA Fighting.
Flyweight Bout
Manel Kape: 18-6-0, 11 KO/TKO, 5 Sub.
Felipe Dos Santos: 7-0-0, 2 KO/TKO, 3 Sub.
Kape has won three of his last five fights and holds UFC wins over Ode Osbourne (12-6-0), Zhalgas Zhumagulov (14-9-0), and David Dvorak (20-6-0). He is a former Rizin Bantamweight champion and has been facing the best of the best for the last six years of his career. He’s constantly looking to counterstrike, throwing every shot with purpose and deadly accuracy. Kape has excellent distance management, switches stances constantly, and will often blitz in with big shots before returning to range. He has heavy power for Flyweight and doesn’t telegraph anything, often timing his shots when his opponent enters his range. Training at AKA Thailand, he won’t typically initiate grappling exchanges but has a solid submission game and can be dangerous off his back. Kape takes some time to get going, but once he finds his rhythm, he heats up and lets his hands go.
Felipe Dos Santos squares up inside the cage. Credit: Tapology.
Dos Santos has won four of his last five fights with one no-contest and is making his UFC debut. He is a wild striker who comes out guns blazing and constantly pursues a finish. He’s always moving and throws every shot with power, but he will put out solid volume and is perpetually coming forward. Dos Santos has a substantial arsenal of kicks and loves to throw jumping attacks like jumping switch kicks and Superman punches. He has an excellent chin and spends much of his cage time in the pocket, throwing looping shots and devastating knees. Training at Chute Boxe, he has grappling abilities and a great takedown game but seems more comfortable on the feet. Dos Santos is most dangerous early on and is at his best in a sloppy, drag-out brawl.
#6 Tai Tuivasa vs. #7 Alexander Volkov
Tai Tuivasa goes to finish off Greg Hardy with ground and pound. Credit: ESPN.
Heavyweight Bout
Tai Tuivasa: 15-5-0, 14 KO/TKO, 0 Sub.
Alexander Volkov: 36-10-0 24 KO/TKO, 3 Sub.
Tuivasa has found victory in three of his last five outings and holds UFC victories over #10 ranked Heavyweight Derrick Lewis (27-11-0), former UFC Heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski (34-22-0), and Stefan Struve (33-13-0). He is the true embodiment of a brawler, always willing to eat a shot to land one and slug it out in the pocket. He’s more technical than he often appears, staying patient and fighting behind his jab before letting go of some massive right hands. Tuivasa has solid head movement and good distance management but won’t throw much at range before closing the distance. Training at Lions High Performance Centre, he has heavy leg kicks and one-shot knockout power, able to finish the fight from seemingly anywhere at any time. He’s at his most dangerous early, with 12 of his fourteen KOs coming round, only seeing two decisions in his pro career. Tuivasa can land immense damage without much space, particularly elbows and knees.
Alexander Volkov unloads a right hand on Jairzinho Rozenstruik. Credit: ESPN.
Volkov has won three of his last five fights and has UFC victories over #11 ranked Heavyweight Marcin Tybura (24-8-0), #12 ranked Heavyweight Jairzinho Rozenstruik (13-5-0), and #13 ranked Heavyweight Alexandr Romanov (17-2-0). He is a lengthy, technical striker who can land damage at range or inside. He has solid footwork and head movement, tending to skirt along the outside of the cage and picking his opponents apart. Volkov is highly accurate and throws everything with purpose, always keeping his shots tight and straight. His best weapons are his front kick and right straight, which he’s constantly looking to set up. Training with Strela Team, he’s powerful inside the clinch and uses his length very well, making him particularly hard to take down. Volkov possesses classic heavyweight cardio; he keeps his power across all 15 minutes, but his pace decreases as the fight continues.
(C) Israel Adesanya vs. #5 Sean Strickland
Middleweight Title Bout
Israel Adesanya lands a devastating knee on Robert Whittaker. Credit: MMA Fighting.
Israel Adesanya: 24-2-0, 16 KO/TKO, 0 Sub.
Sean Strickland: 27-5-0, 11 KO/TKO, 4 Sub.
Adesanya has found victory in 4 of his last five outings and has wins over #2 ranked Middleweight Robert Whittaker (25-7-0), #3 ranked Middleweight Jared Cannonier (17-6-0), and #3 ranked Light Heavyweight Alex Pereira (8-2-0). He’s one of the best technical strikers in MMA and has proven to be virtually unstoppable on the feet. Able to throw with power and volume, he averaged about 84 significant strikes landed in his last five fights. Adesanya is elusive and rarely takes substantial damage, always moving and keeping his head off the centerline. Training at City Kickboxing, he has excellent footwork and can fight both in the center of the octagon or slide along the outside. He has a tremendous variety of kicks and does a great job of varying his attacks, making it very hard to tell what he’ll throw next and where. Adesanya’s last ten fights have been for gold, making him not only prepared for five rounds but highly comfortable in the spotlight.
Sean Strickland pieces up Abus Magomedov. Credit: MMA Mania.
Strickland has won three of his last five fights, with wins over #9 ranked Middleweight Jack Hermansson (23–8-0), #12 ranked Middleweight Nassourdine Imavov (12-4-0), and Uriah Hall (18-11-0). He is best known for his striking prowess and lack of a filter in interviews. While he prefers to keep the fight standing, he often mixes some grappling with his striking, averaging just over one takedown per 15 minutes. Strickland also has solid takedown defense, defending 85% of takedowns attempted on him in the UFC. He rarely pursues submissions, typically resorting to ground-and-pound when on top. He uses a very upright boxing style on the feet, constantly moving forward and throwing combinations. Training at Millenia MMA, Strickland tries to keep his opponent on the back foot as much as possible to open up opportunities to land combinations, especially his one-two.
Best Bets
Justin Tafa to win by KO/TKO: I might as well not mince words, I think Austen Lane is a bit of a can. Not that Tafa is a worldbeater by any means, but if you’re going to brawl with Justin Tafa, you better have solid hands and an even more solid chin. I don’t think Lane has either of those, and I think Tafa will put him away.
Tuivasa vs. Volkov to Not Go the Distance: With 38 knockouts between the two of them and very contrasting styles, it would be a shock to see this go to the judges. Regardless of who wins this fight, it won’t be by decision.
Israel Adesanya by KO/TKO: As much as I and everyone else would enjoy an upset, I just don’t see it happening. While I think Strickland is tough enough to go five rounds, I think Adesanya is fired up and looking for a finish this weekend after all of Strickland’s antics this fight week.
