The Ultimate Fighting Championship is back in Australia and the fight card is wild. Almost all regional stars are fighting on Saturday and there is a lot to look forward to. Here is our UFC 293 fight card analysis.
UFC 293 Fight Card: Everything You Need to Know
The UFC returns to Sydney years later and this card promises to be good. We have a bunch of fights that have the potential to be early stoppages. And this is what we all love, isn't it? We even think that Adesanya may try something different this time after his unbelievable performance in the rematch against Pereira. But before we get to see if we are right or not, we have a lot of curious bouts. Let's dissect the UFC 293 fight card.
UFC 293 Co-Main and Main Events
• Middleweight: Israel Adesanya (24-2-0) vs Sean Strickland (27-5-0) • Heavyweight: Tai Tuivasa (15-5-0) vs Alexander Volkov (36-10-0)
Alexander Volkov is one of the most experienced fighters on the entire roster and he seems to be at the top of his game right now. His last two fights were wins over Rozenstruik and Romanov. Volkov has been close to becoming a contender in the division on multiple occasions and perhaps this time, he will succeed. But his opponent is the fan-favorite Tai Tuivasa, back to Sydney, where he made his UFC debut years ago. He is on a 2-loss streak.
In the main event of the UFC 293 fight card, we have Israel Adesanya and Sean Strickland. A complete mismatch, if you ask us. Adesanya won his belt back from Pereira and will try to start his second reign with a comfortable defeat. Of course, Strickland is in shape, he is talented, and he is big. But he has not had much success against top dogs. He lost back-to-back to two opponents that Adesanya beat with ease.
UFC 293 Main Card
• Middleweight: Israel Adesanya (24-2-0) vs Sean Strickland (27-5-0) • Heavyweight: Tai Tuivasa (15-5-0) vs Alexander Volkov (36-10-0) • Flyweight: Manel Kape (18-6-0) vs Felipe Dos Santos (7-0-0) • Heavyweight: Justin Tafa (6-3-0) vs Austen Lane (12-3-0) • Light Heavyweight: Tyson Pedro (9-4-0) vs Anton Turkalj (8-2-0)
Tyson Pedro will make a second consecutive appearance in Australia and will open the main card against Anton Turjalj. Pedro had some success after returning to the octagon but he lost his last bout against Modestas Bukauskas. He has to bounce back against an opponent that didn't even receive a contract with the promotion after his performance in DWCS. Even though he won back then, he wasn't given a contract immediately. His first fight was a short-notice appearance and he lost it.
In the next fight on the UFC 293 fight card, we have an interesting one. Justin Tafa and Austen Lane will meet again after their original fight in Jacksonville this year. That one ended with an accidental eye poke. So, the two will kick it off again in Sydney.
In the next one, we will see the return of Manel Kape, who had to go through multiple cancellations earlier this year. He is on a 3-win streak, so he must be eager to step back into the octagon. His opponent is 22-year-old Felipe dos Santos, who is unbeaten in the octagon. He has nothing to lose here, so Kape should be extremely careful.
UFC 293 Prelims & Early Prelims
Prelims:
• Light Heavyweight: Carlos Ulberg (9-1-0) vs Da Woon Jung (15-4-1) • Featherweight: Jack Jenkins (12-2-0) vs Chepe Mariscal (14-6-0) • Lightweight: Jamie Mullarkey (16-6-0) vs John Makdessi (18-8-0) • Lightweight: Nasrat Haqparast (14-5-0) vs Landon Quinones (7-1-1)
Early Prelims:
• Welterweight: Mike Diamond (3-2-0) vs Charlie Radtke (7-3-0) • Featherweight: Shane Young (13-7-0) vs Gabriel Miranda (16-6-0) • Welterweight: Kevin Jousset (8-2-0) vs Kieffer Crosbie (10-3-0)
There aren't many familiar faces in the prelims of the UFC 293 fight card. This means that we will see a lot of newcomers and fighters that get the big chance they have been waiting or working for. In the opening bout, we have two debutants in the UFC. Kevin Jousset and Kiefer Crosbie will both walk towards the octagon for the first time. Jousset is 8-2 to date while his opponent is 10-3. Both fighters have had a bunch of early stoppages, so we can expect a good start of the evening.
Later on, we have a fighter that will fight in Sydney for the second time – Shane Young. The last time he fought here, he faced Alexander Volkanovski, and since then, he hasn't had much success. This could be his last chance in the UFC. He will face Gabriel Miranda, who has not had much work in the promotion since his debut in Paris last year. It will be interesting.
Jamie Mullarkey and John Makdessi will both look for the win after losing their most recent bouts. Mullarkey, in particular, did not deserve the last defeat and will be extremely motivated.
The next one will be good. Jack Jenkins and Chepe Mariscal have both been extremely active lately. Jenkins is looking for his third win in 2023 while Mariscal only fought less than three months ago. Just keep in mind that Jenkins is now on a 9-win streak.
Last but not least, Carlos Ulberg should have it easy against Da Woon Jung in the featured fight of the prelims in the UFC 293 fight card. He is on a 4-win streak since his debut and won his last three bouts with 1-st round stoppages.
Vlad is a former amateur MMA fighter. After a series of injuries, he found a different way to connect with the sport and its fanbase - through writing. He's been covering everything-UFC for over 5 years on various platforms and has been part of the team at NYFights since early 2022.
