The UFC is set to return to Australia for another loaded pay per view card stacked with some of the most popular fighters in the sport. UFC 293 will be headlined by a middleweight title fight but there are explosive matchups up and down this card.
The dominant middleweight champ looks to be a heavy favorite as he puts his title on the line in the main event against a very game opponent who should not be underestimated. Plus, the roof will be blown off the arena as one of the most popular Australian fighters steps into the octagon for the co-main event and a flyweight bout seems poised to provide some fireworks.
Flyweight bout: Manel Kape vs. Felipe Dos Santos
Since losing his first two UFC bouts back in 2021, Kape has won three in a row, including knockouts of Ode Osbourne and Zhalgas Zhumagulov. His overall record now stands at 18-6 with an impressive 11 knockouts and five submissions. At just 29 years old, Kape is still getting better and he’s looking to make 2023 a good year as he steps into the octagon for the first time since December. Kape brings tremendous striking skill to this contest and with the number 10 ranking in the flyweight division, he’s already proven himself to be one of the best in the class.
Kape will actually be the veteran in this matchup though as he welcomes 22-year-old Felipe Dos Santos to the UFC. At a perfect 7-0, Dos Santos has earned his way into the octagon, collecting two knockouts and three submission victories along the way. He’s a promising young prospect but we’ll have to see if he has what it takes to hang in the UFC.
My pick: Kape via 3rd round knockout
Heavyweight bout: Tai Tuivasa vs. Alexander Volkov
The UFC has provided some electric atmospheres in the past. Huge events have brought fans from all around the world to some of the most famous arenas to watch some of the very best athletes and the energy in those buildings has been off the charts. Every single one of those moments might be topped when Tai Tuivasa walks out in the Qudos Bank Arena on Saturday. One of the most popular fighters in the sport will return home for this big heavyweight co-main event and it is going to be a fun one. Don’t blink during this one. Tuivasa’s record stands at 14-5 with 13 knockouts. Unfortunately for him, he has been on the wrong end of knockouts lately, being finished in his last two bouts against Cyril Gane and Sergei Pavlovich. Those two losses stopped a five-fight winning streak though, in which Tuivasa knocked each one of his opponents out, three of them in the very first round. The guy is a destroyer. He’s just been the one getting destroyed lately.
He’ll be up against another guy who knows a thing or two about knockouts. The veteran Alexander Volkov comes into this bout with a 36-10 record and 24 knockouts of his own. Perhaps more impressive, in those 46 professional fights, he has only been knocked out twice himself. The most recent example came all the way back in 2018 against Derrick Lewis, who is the UFC’s all-time leader in knockouts. As the seventh-ranked heavyweight going up against the sixth, Volkov has a big opportunity to move up the rankings and potentially throw his hat into the ring for a future title shot. That will be easier said that done though as both he and his opponent can end this fight at any moment. Like I said, don’t blink.
My pick: Tuivasa via 1st round knockout
Middleweight championship bout: Israel Adesanya vs. Sean Strickland
The middleweight division is suddenly very crowded at the top. Israel Adesanya recaptured the title back in April, moving the former champ Alex Pereira up to the light heavyweight division. Shortly after that, it seemed as though a slew of very interesting contenders suddenly emerged. Sean Strickland just happens to be the first one up.
Not much needs to be said about Adesanya. The champ has a 24-2 record with 16 knockouts. His only losses have come against the aforementioned Pereira, which of course he avenged, and the former light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz, in a fight in which Adesanya was attempting to become a simultaneous two-division champion. He has beaten former champions like Anderson Silva and Robert Whittaker (twice) and turned away every other challenger thrown his way. He might just be the best pure striker in the sport and he’ll let you know it both physically and verbally. Simply put, Adesanya is one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world right now.
That being said, crazier things have happened. Strickland, who is currently a +440 underdog, is coming off of back-to-back impressive victories. His record stands at 27-5, with his only losses in the past five years coming against the afore-aforementioned Pereira and Jared Cannonier, a contender Adesanya defeated last year. A talented striker in his own right, Strickland has scored 11 knockouts of his own over the course of his career. Though, it will be very interesting to see if he will look to wrestle Adesanya and bring this fight to the floor. If not, and this becomes a striking battle, that will play right into the champion’s hands.
My pick: Adesanya via 3rd round knockout
UFC 293 will be held Saturday, September 9 at 10 PM ET. Fight fans can order the pay per view through ESPN+ and receive a special offer: $124.98 for UFC 293 and an ESPN+ annual plan. ESPN+ subscribers can order the pay per view for $79.99.