Israel Adesanya says he plans to make a difficult fight look easy on Saturday when he defends his middleweight title against rugged veteran contender Sean Strickland in the main event of UFC 293. Their five-round battle tops the marquee on the main UFC 293 fight card starting at 10 p.m. ET from main card Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia. Adesanya, who is making his first title defense in his second run as middleweight champion, told the media this week he believes many observers have underestimated the potential of the No. 5-ranked Strickland, who is known for his relentless brawling. But Adesanya says he isn't one of them and, although he anticipates a difficult challenge, he intends to outclass the determined challenger no matter how the fight plays out.
Adesanya is a -650 favorite (risk $650 to win $100), while Strickland returns a price of +450 in the latest UFC 293 odds. In the co-main event, heavyweight contenders take the stage when Alexander Volkov (-240) meets Tai Tuivasa (+200). Before finalizing any UFC 293 picks, make sure you check out the MMA predictions and betting advice from SportsLine expert Kyle Marley.
Marley won the first-ever "ToutMaster" UFC betting contest sponsored by MMAOddsBreaker and appears regularly on multiple MMA betting and daily Fantasy shows. He watches every single fight for every professional MMA card and does extensive research before each event.
Over the past four years, $100 bettors who have followed Marley's picks are up nearly $12,000. In 2022, the accomplished MMA analyst launched the UFC season by advising SportsLine members to back Calvin Kattar (+200) against Giga Chikadze (-240) in the featherweight main event. Kattar's lopsided decision victory gave Marley's followers another easy winner. Anyone who has followed him has seen massive returns.
Now, with UFC 293: Adesanya vs. Strickland in sight, Marley has studied the card from top to bottom and revealed his top picks and best bets. You can only see Marley's MMA picks at SportsLine.
UFC 293: Adesanya vs. Strickland preview
Adesanya (24-2) has emerged as one of the more dominant champions of this generation, and his accolades have put him in the conversation as among the UFC's all-time great middleweights, alongside iconic former champion Anderson Silva.
His win over a fading Silva in February 2019 represented a changing of the guard of sorts, and he won the undisputed title two fights later with a knockout of former champion Robert Whittaker. His first reign as champion included five title defenses and a failed attempt to become a double champion when he lost a decision to former light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz.
Adesanya lost for the first time at middleweight when Pereira, a rival from both fighters' stint in professional kickboxing, rallied for a stunning fifth-round knockout to strip him of the crown. But Adesanya returned the favor in their rematch, and the hulking Pereira has since moved up to light heavyweight.
Strickland (27-5) might be better known for his fiery disposition and unfiltered ramblings, but he has also earned his keep inside the cage. The rugged brawler has accepted numerous short-notice fights and has salvaged at least two UFC cards by taking main-event fights with minimal preparation time.
In his last performance, Strickland knocked out celebrated prospect Abus Magomedov in July and was awarded the title shot after top-ranked challenger Dricus Du Plessis withdrew from consideration from the UFC 293 card because of an injury. See all of Marley's UFC 293 picks here.
Top UFC 293 predictions
One of Marley's top UFC 293 picks: He is backing Tyson Pedro (+100) to get the nod against Anton Turkalj (-125) in a light heavyweight battle.
Turkalj (8-2) is a versatile prospect who joined the UFC with an undefeated record following a victory on "Dana White's Contender Series." However, the 27-year-old Swedish fighter is still seeking his first UFC victory following losses in difficult matchups in each of his first two outings.
Pedro (9-4) is a six-year UFC veteran who started his stint with the promotion with a victory over veteran contender Paul Craig. However, the 31-year-old Australian suffered a serious knee injury that kept him out of competition for more than three years. He has won two of three since his return in April of last year.
"Pedro is the better striker and I also think he is the better grappler. He is more dangerous if he is the one landing takedowns. Pedro is more likely to get a finish or win a close decision, so he is my pick," Marley told SportsLine. See who else to pick here.
How to make UFC 293 picks
Marley has strong picks for Adesanya vs. Strickland and every other bout on the UFC 293 card. He's also backing a fighter who "is the better overall striker" to emerge with a dominant victory. See Marley's picks at SportsLine.
Who wins UFC 293: Adesanya vs. Strickland, and how exactly does each fight end? Visit SportsLine now to get detailed picks on every fight at UFC 293, all from the MMA expert who's up nearly $12,000 on MMA in the past three-plus years, and find out.
UFC 293 fight card, odds
See full UFC 293 picks, predictions, best bets here.
Israel Adesanya (-650) vs. Sean Strickland (+450)
Alexander Volkov (-240) vs. Tai Tuivasa (+200)
Justin Tafa (-230) vs. Austen Lane (+190)
Jack Jenkins (-190) vs. Chepe Mariscal (+160)
Shane Young (-170) vs. Gabriel Miranda (+145)
Jamie Mullarkey (-260) vs. John Makdessi (+210)
Carlos Ulberg (-260) vs. Da Woon Jung (+210)
Nasrat Haqparast (-450) vs. Landon Quinones (+350)
Charlie Radke (-300) vs. Mike Mathetha (+240)
Anton Turkalj (-125) vs. Tyson Pedro (+100)
Manel Kape (-380) vs. Felipe Dos Santos (+300)
Kevin Jousset (-150) vs. Kiefer Crosbie (+125)
