Sean Strickland won the biggest fight of his career on Saturday after he defeated Israel Adesanya to win the middleweight title in Sydney, Australia.
The 32-year-old achieved this with solid defence and clinical output at UFC 293.
The American became victorious over Adesanya with 49-46 on all three scorecards.
As early as the first round, Strickland dropped the Nigerian-New Zealander with a picture-perfect right cross.
The punch sent Adesanya spinning to the canvas before seeking a finish.
Strickland could not quite find the knockout blow, however, as Adesanya survived to the buzzer.
Strickland always seemed to be a step ahead of Adesanya as the fight came to a close. He congratulated the over-joyed Strickland.
