Sean Strickland isn’t being given much of a chance heading into his first UFC middleweight title fight, but you can be sure he’s going into it with the worst intentions.
Strickland challenges champion Israel Adesanya this Saturday – Sunday locally – at UFC 293 from Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney. As of Monday, Adesanya remained a huge favorite at -650 betting odds at FanDuel, while Strickland returned as a +420 underdog. At those odds, Adesanya has an implied win probability of 86.7 percent.
It’s no secret Adesanya (24-2 MMA, 13-2 UFC) and Strickland (27-5 MMA, 14-5 UFC) will enter the cage with a fair amount of heat between them, which dates back to the UFC 276 press conference and has only increased since then. Strickland said he’s heard from plenty of fans on the street wanting him to beat Adesanya, and that’s motivation he’ll carry with him.
