Sean Strickland is the new UFC middleweight champion after beating Israel Adesanya in the main event of UFC 293, but he’s a man who carries a lot of baggage.

His victory on Sunday has been branded one of the biggest upsets in UFC history, with all three judges scoring the bout 49-46 for the American to ensure he won by unanimous decision.

After dropping his opponent in the first round, Strickland survived a comeback of sorts from Adesanya in the second, then took the remaining stages of the contest with a brilliant effort that saw him continually pressure his rival and land big shots.

The new world champ was overcome with emotion in the octagon after the decision was announced and told the crowd, ‘Am I f**king dreaming? Am I going to wake up? Someone hit me!’

But he has previously made headlines for all the wrong reasons, from talks of murder to stern sexism.

In June, the 32-year-old made a string of sexist and misogynistic remarks, saying ‘we need to take women out of the workforce’ and ‘put them back in the kitchen.’

‘We let women vote, no offense. Think about America prior to women voting,’ he said.

‘They tried to ban alcohol, I don’t even drink but I’m not trying to ban alcohol. So, what you did, man, you let these women come into the workforce, now we make less money, you got kids raising themselves on TikTok, we need to go back to like 1942, maybe 1958 after we f***** up the Germans.

‘We need to put women back in the kitchen, only one man needs to be working, so as a collective man group we need to elect someone that’s gonna put women back in the kitchen, one man working, raise the wages, and build a f****** wall.’

Though it appears Strickland is well-aware of the backlash of his remarks, he continues to make them and cause offence.

Two years ago, he made headlines for admitted he would like to kill someone in the octagon after his win over Uriah Hall.

‘If you like to f****** hurt people, you’re in the right sport, man,’ he said. ‘Like, I would love nothing more than to kill somebody in the ring.

‘Nothing more. It would make me super happy. I would own that s***, too. I don’t know if that made me liable, I might have to say I’m sorry if the cops came. But I would own that s***.’

He went onto suggest he could have acted on his murderous fantasies if he wasn’t for MMA.

‘I would walk down the street with a knife or like a rock, hoping to kill somebody,’ he told Ariel Helwani. ‘And when I started training, I realised man, you’re just f****** angry.

‘There’s just something in me that I just knew that if I could just kill a human being, it would make me feel good, short time. But it’s one of those things where I think more people think like that, and I’m just the one that says it.

‘I always say that the difference between me and other people. Like, you can watch Dexter, you can watch The Punisher, and you can the movies and you think about killing. But I was on a path to where I was gonna act it out. Like, I was fantasising it, so I had my mum take me to training for the first time.

‘Once you start fantasising enough about it, you start putting yourself in situations to act out the fantasy. And training allowed me an outlet for the fantasy to stop. I would train, I’d fight, I would train, I’d fight. But if it wasn’t for that, I fantasize about it all the time.’

Strickland’s words and actions over the years led to one other UFC fighter saying he doesn’t want to be on the same card as him, let alone in the same match.

Bantamweight star Sean O’Malley admitted in 2021 that he was worried he would be murdered by Strickland if they shared a card.

Speaking on the BroMalley Show podcast, he said: ‘Oh, I can’t get on the Sean Strickland card. I am scared that he might f****** murder me. Like actually, I probably would not want to be around that dude. 

‘He kind of seems like a f****** freak and psychopath. Like if he had a chance to kill someone, he probably would do it. So it’s like I wouldn’t even want to fight on that m***********’s card.’

Though he’s registered 15 wins in his nine years in the UFC, Strickland will likely be more remembered for his bizarre rants outside the octagon.

Controversial fighter Sean Strickland has stunned the mixed martial arts world by pulling off one of the biggest upsets in UFC history as he took Israel Adesanya‘s middleweight crown via unanimous decision.

All three judges scored it 49-46 for the American, who clearly won the first round by dropping his opponent. 

Strickland survived a comeback of sorts from Adesanya in the second, then took the remaining stanzas of the contest with a brilliant effort that saw him continually pressure his rival and land big shots.

The new world champ was overcome with emotion in the octagon after the decision was announced and told the crowd, ‘Am I f**king dreaming? Am I going to wake up? Someone hit me!

‘I don’t cry much but I’m trying to keep my s**t together right now.’

Commentator and former heavyweight world champion Daniel Cormier was also stunned by the result.

‘It was a mountain he wasn’t supposed to climb. He wasn’t even supposed to be in this fight,’ he said, referring to the fact Strickland was a late replacement for the injured Dricus du Plessis.

‘It’s crazy. That’s why this sport is like no other. You don’t know, you just don’t know.

‘That was very clear and every judge got it right. It was four rounds to one for Sean Strickland, and he beat one of the greatest middleweights of all time.’

Adesanya was too emotional to speak more than two sentences at his post-fight press conference, telling the media, ‘Life throws curveballs at you,’ before leaving his coach Eugene Bareman to answer questions.

Strickland made his intentions very clear in the first rounds, shocking the crowd by levelling Adesanya with a clean one-two, then following up his devastating right with a series of left hands as his opponent barely managed to see out the round.

The Nigeria-born, New Zealand-based ex-champion found his distance in the second and seemed to come to grips with Strickland’s relentless pressure, landing a big right hand soon before the bell.

However, the American came roaring back in the third, with Adesanya looking too patient as he lost the initiative and failed to get his shots off while copping several huge blows.

It was more of the same in the fourth and fifth rounds as Strickland wore his opponent down with non-stop pressure, and even dropped his hands and roared at Adesanya to step up and throw down with him in the final moments of the bout.

Strickland had insulted Adesanya – often in unprintable fashion – in the lead-up to their clash, but he was unusually classy after taking the belt in what is far and away the biggest win of his career.

He also thanked the Aussie spectators, who gave him more support than his opponent, despite his Kiwi background. 

‘You guys know, Izzy’s a bad motherf**ker,’ he told the crowd.

‘You don’t fight a guy with that many highlight-reel knockouts.

‘The majority of my friends, he’s beat pretty easily. I was even kind of doubting myself at times.

‘But I’ve got to say, the fans in Australia, you guys motivated me. Not even joking around.

‘When I’m walking in there and I heard you guys yelling, in that fourth round I heard you guys yelling. It f**king fuelled me.

‘I thought I’d be walking away a little bloody, a little broken up. I’m a little shocked that didn’t happen.’ 

Strickland was more like his usual, controversial self in the press conference as he revealed he’d been calling Adesanya a ‘Chinaman’ when he was shouting at his rival in the final round.

He has often criticised the ex-champion for carrying the Chinese flag into the ring with him when he competed as a kickboxer in the country, as seen in a viral video.

On a recent episode of The Joe Rogan Experience, Strickland again took aim at The Last Stylebender for his ties to China.

‘I always call him China’s little s**t because we have all done things … We’ve all been a w**re to somebody,’ Strickland said.

Adesanya gave his take on the fight in an Instagram post that was filmed as he was driven away from Sydney’s Qudos Bank Arena with members of his family.

Taking off his sunglasses to reveal a bruise around his left eye and pulling his bloodied bottom lip down to show his teeth, he told his fans, ‘It’s not that bad. Nothing broken. A little touched-up. We gravy, baby. Still thriving, it’s all good.

‘I hate losing but I love living, and I’m thriving so, yeah, hang out with the family first, and [then] I’ll address the people.

‘But right now I gotta put me first.’

Several MMA stars were left in shock by the underdog win.

‘Wow! Did not see that coming,’ Dricus du Plessis posted on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.

He was joined by Dustin Poirier, who wrote: ‘Unbelieveable… MMA is the craziest sport in the world. I F**king love this.’

Bareman refused to make any excuses for the loss, admitting his charge performed poorly as he said he didn’t want to take away from Strickland’s outstanding performance.

However, he insisted Adesanya will win a rematch and said his fighter wants to get back in the octagon against Strickland ‘next weekend’. 

UFC president Dana White was in favour of the pair meeting once again, saying ‘I think you do the rematch, absolutely’ soon after the judges’ scores were read out.

The history of the world’s most popular combat sports – mixed martial arts and boxing – are inexorably linked. While both can trace their roots to the Olympic Games of Ancient Greece, MMA’s modern history owes itself to boxing.

After all, the first mixed rules fight to be televised saw ‘Judo’ Gene LeBell take on boxer Milo Savage in 1963 in an early attempt to answer the question of whether a good grappler could defeat a good boxer.

And Savage’s exploits soon convinced other boxers to compete in proto-MMA, with Muhammad Ali infamously facing Japanese pro wrestling icon Antonio Inoki in a 15-round mixed rules bout in 1976. 

These days however, with MMA having grown into a legitimate sport in its own right it has become much more common to see fighters transition into the sweet science rather than the other way around.

Conor McGregor set himself up for life while putting up an admirable performance in defeat against Floyd Mayweather in 2017, but not all fighters have come away from their forays into pugilism with such happy memories.

Conor McGregor – 0-1

Regardless of your opinion on the crossover era of combat sports that it birthed, it’s hard to judge Conor McGregor’s sole outing as a professional boxer as anything other than an unqualified success.

In just over three years in the UFC, McGregor went from a highly-touted yet relatively unknown prospect to the promotion’s first simultaneous two-weight world champion with a popularity that transcended the sport as a whole.

Though there is debate whether Mayweather intentionally carried the Irishman to the later rounds when they fought, it is undeniable that McGregor’s performance surpassed the expectations of many and enshired him place as one of the world’s most recognisable athletes.

Anderson Silva – 3-2

Possibly the greatest striker ever to compete in MMA, in his prime Anderson Silva was a force of nature; capable of exposing just how rudimentary many of his opponents were on the feet.

Prior to signing with the UFC in 2006, Silva had competed in a pair of boxing matches in his native Brazil before putting his pugilism career on hold as he embarked on his legendary run inside the Octagon.

Though he suffered an ignominious exit from the promotion, Silva would find success returning to his first love, defeating former world champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr and fellow MMA veteran Tito Ortiz before dropping a decision against Jake Paul last year. 

Israel Adesanya 5-1

Much like his spiritual predecessor in the UFC’s middleweight division, Israel Adesanya combined his early MMA career with several forays into the squared circle.

Unlike some of his contemporaries on this list, the UFC Middleweight Champion fought accomplished opposition right from the start of his boxing career, losing a decision to 38-fight veteran Daniel Ammann in his pro debut.

In the following twelve months, Adesanya would fight a further five times, twice triumphing in one-night Super 8 Boxing boxing tournaments in the cruiserweight division before turning his attention back to kickboxing and MMA. 

Francis Ngannou – 0-0

Much like McGregor, Francis Ngannou will make his first foray into professional boxing – whilst in the prime of his MMA career – against an elite opponent when he faces Tyson Fury in October.

Unlike McGregor though, Ngannou has ventured into the sweet science without the blessing of the UFC, and with a significantly more mixed reaction to the news from the general public. 

If any fighter in the history of MMA has possessed the kind of power necessary to topple an elite heavyweight it would be Ngannou. However, the gargantuan difference in skills and boxing experience will likely see his crossover into boxing be unsuccessful, though highly lucrative.

Tom Aspinall – 1-0

Having enjoyed a successful return to the Octagon last month, Tom Aspinall is riding a wave of momentum that has seen him emerge as a potential contender for Jon Jones’ heavyweight crown.

In 2017, however, Aspinall found himself struggling to get fights on the UK’s regional circuit and briefly embarked on a career in boxing. 

Training alongside Tyson Fury, Aspinall stepped into the ring for his one, and thus far only, professional boxing match that year, comfortably defeating Hungarian journeyman Tamas Bajzath via first-round knockout.

Tyron Woodley – 0-2

After Ben Askren became the first MMA fighter to be defeated by Jake Paul, his teammate Tyron Woodley was drafted in to face the ‘Problem Child’ in August of 2021.

The former UFC Welterweight Champion proved to be a tougher out for Paul, but ultimately suffered from a gun shyness that plagued his later career inside the Octagon en route to a decision defeat.

Woodley would receive a shot at redemption against Paul that same year as a late replacement, but this time would find himself on the receiving end of a brutal sixth-round KO.

Kimbo Slice – 7-0

An early star of the internet for his success in bareknuckle street fight videos, Kimbo Slice instantly became must-see TV on his transition to MMA in 2007.

After participating in the first MMA event to be shown on prime time network television in the US Slice would embark on a brief run in the UFC via The Ultimate Fighter, but was released by the promotion in 2010.

In the following years Slice would make a total of seven professional boxing appearances, winning all of his fights against low level opposition before returning to MMA to sign with Bellator in 2015 before his untimely death the following year.

Michael ‘Venom’ Page – 2-0 

One of the most skilled fighters ever yet to have competed in the UFC, Michael Page has nevertheless transitioned his skills in point kickboxing into a successful career in professional combat sports.

After scoring some of the most unique KO’s in the history of MMA during his time with Bellator, Page announced he would transition to ring in 2017 after signing with former heavyweight champion David Haye.

A pair of fights under the Hayemaker Ringstar banner followed, with MVP receiving criticism from boxing analysts for showboating against in victories against opponents that were significantly below his skill level.

Clay Collard – 9-6-3

While most of his contemporaries on this list dabbled in boxing before committing to MMA, or transitioned for a high-profile crossover fight, Clay Collard took a need for quick money and turned it into an eventful career in the ring.

After winning just one of his first 5 fights, Collard developed a habit of upsetting prospects during later outings, defeating the previously 9-0 Quashawn Toler, 5-0 Raymond Guajardo and 6-0 David Kaminsky in successive fights in 2020.

Collard has since returned to pursuing MMA as his priority, and recently qualified for the PFL lightweight playoffs where he will face fellow UFC veteran Shane Burgos later this month’s for a place in the promotions final with $1million at stake. 

Nate Diaz – 0-0

Though he has long been admired for his boxing skills within MMA, Saturday’s clash with Jake Paul will mark Nate Diaz’s maiden outing as a professional boxer.

The Stockton native’s combination punching, seemingly endless cardio, and ability to absorb punishment has seen him defeat several top names in the UFC including Conor McGregor and he will hoping those skills carry over to the boxing ring when he takes on Paul in the event broadcast on DAZN on Saturday night.

While Nate hasn’t competed in boxing, brother Nick Diaz did make a sole foray into the sport in 2005, defeating Alfonso Rocha before returning to the UFC.

Charles Oliveira stops Beneil Darius in the first round at UFC 289 before calling out lightweight champion Islam Makhachev, with Dana White admitting a rematch ‘makes a lot of sense’

• The fight was stopped after Oliveira dominated for just over four minutes
• He called out Makhachev for a rematch after the fight having lost the first bout
• The Russian congratulated Oliveira online but said there are ‘levels to this game’

By Lewis Browning For Mailonline

Published: 02:10 EDT, 11 June 2023 | Updated: 02:15 EDT, 11 June 2023

Former UFC champion Francis Ngannou signs ‘exclusive partnership’ with PFL but won’t make his debut until mid-2024… with ‘The Predator’ set to have one boxing bout before MMA return

• PFL have confirmed the signing of former UFC champion Francis Ngannou
• The Cameroonian departed from the UFC after a breakdown in negotiations 
• He will not make his PFL debut until 2024, with his sights set on a boxing bout 

By James Cohen For Mailonline

Published: 05:28 EDT, 16 May 2023 | Updated: 07:39 EDT, 16 May 2023

UFC fighter Tim Elliott claims his ex-wife cheated on him with his friend on their WEDDING NIGHT and during their ‘entire marriage’

• Tim Elliott says Gina Mazany cheated on him with Kevin Croom at their wedding 
• Mazany has since deleted her Instagram account as Elliott replied to questions 
• DailyMail.com provides all the latest international sports news 

By Jake Fenner For Dailymail.Com

Published: 19:22 EDT, 14 May 2023 | Updated: 19:35 EDT, 14 May 2023

Aljamain Sterling will defend his bantamweight title for the third time when he faces former champion Henry Cejudo tonight. 

Sterling is coming off a second-round TKO victory against T.J. Dillashaw last October. The current champion has proved his doubters wrong since he won the belt back in 2020 against Petr Yan at UFC 259. 

As for Cejudo, the former two-division champion announced his retirement from the sport in 2020 after his second-round TKO victory against Dominick Cruz at UFC 249. The win over Cruz was Cejudo’s only defence of his bantamweight title after winning the vacant title against Marlon Moraes at UFC 238 in 2019.

This weekend’s PPV card also sees an epic welterweight fight between Belal Muhammad and Gilbert Burns and is set to serve as the co-main event. A mouthwatering lightweight bout between Drew Dober and Matt Frevola will also feature on tonight’s card.

Mail Sport breaks down everything you need to know ahead of Sterling vs Cejudo, including how you can watch in the UK and who else is fighting.

When is UFC 288?

UFC 288 will take place tonight, with the early prelims getting underway at 11pm in the United Kingdom. 

For those watching in America, the early prelims will begin at 3pm PT, 5pm CT and 6pm ET on Saturday. 

The prelims are then scheduled to take place at 1am on Sunday, while it is set to get underway at 5.30pm PT, 7.30pm CT and 8.30pm ET on Saturday in America.

UK fans will be able to watch the main card at 3am. In the US, the final five fights will start at 7pm PT, 9pm CT and 10pm ET on Saturday.

The main event between Sterling and Cejudo will not get underway in the UK until around 5.30am on Sunday morning. 

Sterling’s showdown with Cejudo is set to take place at the Prudential Center in Newark.

How to watch

UFC 288 will be shown live on BT Sport 1 in the UK and will also be shown live on the broadcaster’s app.

Coverage for this weekend’s PPV showdown will start at 1am on Sunday.

Mail Sport will also be covering the event live, so you can keep up-to-date with us.

Sterling vs Cejudo: The key stats 

Fight card in full

Main Card 

• Aljamain Sterling vs Henry Cejudo – For UFC Bantamweight Championship
• Belal Muhammad vs Gilbert Burns 
• Jessica Andrade vs Yan Xiaonan 
• Movsar Evloev vs Diego Lopes
• Kron Gracie vs Charles Jourdain 

 Preliminary Card

• Drew Dober vs Matt Frevola 
• Kennedy Nzechukwu vs Devin Clark 
• Khaos Williams vs Rolando Bedoya 
• Marina Rodriguez vs Virna Jandiroba 

Early Preliminary Card   

• Braxton Smith vs Parker Porter 
• Phil Hawes vs Ikram Aliskerov 
• Rafael Estevam vs Zhalgas Zhumagulov 
• Joseph Holmes vs Claudio Ribiero 
• Daniel Santos vs Johnny Munoz Jr 

What’s been said?

Heading into tonight’s main event, Sterling revealed that he is looking forward to defeating another ‘legend’. 

‘The guy came back after a three-year layoff, that’s pretty impressive,’ Sterling said at the UFC 288 pre-fight press conference.

‘I thought the guy was joking around. I’m glad to see he’s serious about this and I can’t wait to smash another legend, another former champion. He’s got some good accolades and I can’t wait to take that away from him, because he said this is going to be an easy fight. So what’s going to happen when he loses and I make him bend the motherf****** knee?

‘I can’t wait for Saturday because I’m going to silence the crowd again! Again! You think I can lose to a guy who dresses up in a velour suit? And his team? Look at these clowns! Sit your a** down!’

As for Cejudo, ‘Triple C’  believes that he is still the current champion of the bantamweight division. 

‘I never lost the belt,’ Cejudo said. 

‘So the way I see it, I’m the champ, he’s the challenger, and you guys hired the right hitman. I’m here to do my job. Weight is good, I feel good. I’m doing my weight cut in the morning, I’m super light. I’m excited to put this clown six feet under.’ 

Odds

Aljamain Sterling to win – 10/11

Henry Cejudo to win – 5/6

Draw – 50/1

All odds via Paddy Power and correct at the time of publication. 

Prediction 

It will be interesting to see if ring rust plays a big factor in this fight for Cejudo, seeing as he has not fought in three years.

For Sterling, he may not be the best striker, but his wrestling and grappling are arguably one of the best in the division. If he can get the fight to the floor and take Cejudo’s back, he can get the job done as his submission skills are second to none.

Despite Sterling dominating his last fight against Dillashaw, it is fair to say that this weekend’s clash with Cejudo will be his toughest yet.

With Cejudo a former Olympic medalist in wrestling, Sterling may have a tough time taking him down. On the feet, Cejudo will have the edge and has proven to knock top strikers out over the years.

Prediction: Aljamain Sterling via decision 

PICTURED: Jorge Masvidal’s father stands for his mugshot as he’s charged with ATTEMPTED MURDER for ‘shooting a 67-year-old man at the ex-UFC star’s home in domestic dispute’… and now faces up to 15 years in prison

• Jorge Masvidal Fernandez faces a maximum penalty of 15 years and a $10k fine
• Jorge Masvidal Jr. retired from the UFC in April & wasn’t present at the shooting 
• DailyMail.com provides all the latest international sports news 

By Patrick Djordjevic and Alex Raskin Sports News Editor For Dailymail.com

Published: 18:17 EDT, 5 May 2023 | Updated: 18:53 EDT, 5 May 2023