Israel Adesanya makes the first title defense of his second reign as UFC middleweight champion when he takes on the challenge of Sean Strickland in the main event at UFC 293 in Sydney on Saturday (10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV, with prelims at 8 p.m. on ESPNEWS and ESPN+, early prelims at 6:30 on ESPN+).
Adesanya, ranked No. 4 in ESPN's pound-for-pound men's rankings, regained the 185-pound belt in April with a knockout of Alex Pereira. Strickland, ESPN's No. 8 middleweight, has won two fights in a row and eight of his past 10.
Brett Okamoto spoke to former UFC lightweight and current broadcast analyst Din Thomas to get his perspective on the main event. ESPN's betting experts Reed Kuhn and Ian Parker add their insights and analysis on the main event and other intriguing bets they like on the card.
Editor's note: Responses have been edited for brevity and clarity.
