UFC 293 predictions: Is Adesanya bound to finish Strickland?

Ahead of Saturday's UFC 293 in Sydney, Australia, theScore's Nick Baldwin makes his picks for the main-card bouts.

Middleweight championship

Israel Adesanya (24-2)
vs.
Sean Strickland (27-5)

Everyone wanted - and expected - to see UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya face a rather serious test against Dricus Du Plessis this weekend in Australia. Du Plessis, who skyrocketed to No. 1 in the division with an upset TKO win over former champ Robert Whittaker in July, could not take the title shot he had earned due to an injury. So instead, Adesanya gets what should be one of his easiest opponents yet: Sean Strickland.

Adesanya, of course, is one of the best strikers in the middleweight division - and the UFC. A former elite kickboxer, "The Last Stylebender" is rangy, technical, and powerful on the feet. Strickland also uses his stand-up prowess to win fights. But unfortunately for the American, his flat-footed, volume-heavy style isn't anything Adesanya hasn't seen - and defeated - before.

It may be in Strickland's best interest to try to get Adesanya to the ground, but it seems unlikely Strickland will even attempt that as a natural striker. Plus, Adesanya's takedown defense is vastly underrated; Strickland would struggle to get Adesanya down if he did try.

Instead, expect Strickland to simply try to outbox Adesanya and put pressure on him. Adesanya, though, masterfully controls distance, and he won't let Strickland control the fight. After one or two measured rounds from the champion, Strickland - with his chin up - will walk into a big shot and won't know what hit him when he's staring up at the lights.

The pick: Adesanya, second-round knockout

Heavyweight bout

Tai Tuivasa (15-5)
vs.
Alexander Volkov (36-10)

Co-headlining one of the worst UFC pay-per-view offerings of the year, heavyweight standouts Tai Tuivasa and Alexander Volkov have a strong chance of stealing the show with a thrilling highlight.

Tuivasa and Volkov, by heavyweight division standards, are opposites. Tuivasa is who comes up when you search "MMA heavyweight" on Google Images: a brawler. The Sydney native has bungalows for fists and is willing to eat two punches to dish out a finishing blow. He is wild and fun to watch, and, when victorious, he drinks beer out of shoes.

Volkov, on the other hand, is one of the most tactical heavyweights on the UFC roster, a striking technician who picks his opponents apart until either the final bell rings or the damage adds up and the referee is forced to intervene. Volkov has been in the UFC for years now, moving in and out of title contention, and a third straight victory Saturday could put him right back in there.

This fight likely goes one of two ways: Either Volkov takes control early and never lets up, landing jabs, straight punches, and the occasional overhand punch to sweep a puzzled Tuivasa on the scorecards - or Tuivasa turns the fight into a slugfest and eventually lands the kill shot, becoming the first to knock Volkov out since Derrick Lewis did so with a Hail Mary finish in 2018. The smart money is probably on Volkov, but Tuivasa putting "Drago" to sleep keeps replaying in my mind. The 30-year-old will be extra motivated given the fact he's lost two in a row, and he'll have his raucous hometown crowd behind him. So give me "Bam Bam" to do exactly that.

The pick: Tuivasa, second-round TKO

Other main-card predictions: Manel Kape def. Felipe dos Santos by TKO; Justin Tafa def. Austen Lane by knockout; Anton Turkalj def. Tyson Pedro by submission