Preview: UFC 293 ‘Adesanya vs. Strickland’

Light Heavyweights

Anton Turkalj (8-2, 0-2 UFC) vs. Tyson Pedro (9-4, 5-4 UFC)

ODDS: Turkalj (-115), Pedro (-105)

Light heavyweight prospects look to prove something in this clash at 205 pounds. Pedro was a particularly raw talent when the UFC picked him up in 2016, but quick wins over Khalil Rountree and Paul Craig resulted in some thought that the Australian could be the division’s next young contender. Pedro certainly had the requisite physical gifts, but the nature of the UFC’s light heavyweight roster meant that he kept getting rushed into a clear ceiling, losing to Ovince St. Preux and Mauricio Rua before a cascade of injuries kept him out of action for three and a half years. Upon his return, Pedro looked like an improved version of the same fighter—mostly thanks to the addition of some feints to his striking arsenal—but after a few quick wins over the bottom reaches of the UFC roster, it was an open question as to how he would perform given a step back up in competition. To that end, his February loss to Modestas Bukauskas was not particularly promising. Pedro did not entirely flame out, but he also did not get much done before tiring out, keeping up the trend of his being ineffective past the first round. It is unclear how that all matches up against Turkalj—a case study in the duality of man. Sweden’s “Pleasure Man” is an entertaining oddball outside the cage, but the fun tends to end once he steps into the Octagon, as he fights behind a grimy wrestling style where he mostly looks to cling to his opponents. Pedro should be able to land at will on the feet in the early going, so there is a decent chance he just knocks Turkalj out in short order, but the Swede’s combination of durability and absolute doggedness figures to be enough to grind out a win, even if it will be quite unpleasant to watch. The pick is Turkalj via decision.

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Adesanya vs. Strickland
Volkov vs. Tuivasa
Kape vs. dos Santos
Tafa vs. Lane
Turkalj vs. Pedro
The Prelims