Israel Adesanya takes on Sean Strickland in the main event of UFC 293 this weekend, defending the middleweight title in Sydney. Adesanya began his second reign as champion in April, knocking out Alex Pereira to finally earn a win over his old rival, who took the belt from Adesanya in November. Now, the Nigerian-New Zealander defends the gold against Strickland, with the controversial contender entering Australia on a two-fight win streak. American Strickland, ranked fifth, was Adesanya’s second choice for a challenger here; the champion had his eyes on Dricus Du Plessis, but the South African sustained an injury to delay that potential grudge match. Many fans, however, are excited to see Strickland (27-5) finally get his shot at Adesanya (24-2). Here’s all you need to know. We may earn commission from some of the links in this article, but we never allow this to influence our content. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent. When is UFC 293? The event is set to take place on Saturday 9 September, at the Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia. The early prelims are due to begin at 11.30pm BST (3.30pm PT, 5.30pm CT, 6.30pm ET), with the regular prelims following at 1am BST on Sunday 10 September (5pm PT, 7pm CT, 8pm ET on Saturday). The main card is then scheduled for 3am BST on Sunday (7pm PT, 9pm CT, 10pm ET on Saturday). How can I watch it? The card will air live on TNT Sports in the UK, with the broadcaster’s app and website also streaming the fights. In the US, ESPN+ will stream the action live, as will the UFC’s Fight Pass. If you’re travelling abroad and want to watch the event, you might need a VPN to unblock your streaming app. Our VPN round-up is here to help: Get great deals on the best VPNs in the market. Odds Adesanya – 2/13 Strickland – 9/2 Via Betway. • Get all the latest UFC betting sites’ offers Full card (subject to change) Main card Israel Adesanya (C) vs Sean Strickland (middleweight title) Tai Tuivasa vs Alexander Volkov (heavyweight) Manel Kape vs Felipe dos Santos (flyweight) Justin Tafa vs Austen Lane (heavyweight) Tyson Pedro vs Anton Turkalj (light-heavyweight) Prelims Carlos Ulberg vs Da Woon Jung (light-heavyweight) Jack Jenkins vs Chepe Mariscal (featherweight) Jamie Mullarkey vs John Makdessi (lightweight) Nasrat Haqparast vs Landon Quinones (lightweight) Early prelims Mike Diamond vs Charlie Radtke (welterweight) Shane Young vs Gabriel Miranda (featherweight) Kevin Jousset vs Kiefer Crosbie (welterweight) Read More Jared Cannonier revealed as back-up fighter for Adesanya vs Strickland at UFC 293 Conor McGregor finally receives black belt in jiu-jitsu Deja vu for Ciryl Gane as heavyweight scores statement win at UFC Paris Back-up fighter revealed for Adesanya vs Strickland at UFC 293 Conor McGregor finally receives black belt in jiu-jitsu Mark Zuckerberg trains with UFC champions on speedboat

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Rogue Russian mercenary fighters from the Wagner group have had their efforts labelled as “treason” by Vladimir Putin after seizing military centre Rostov-on-Don. The escalation marks one of the most explosive episodes in the country’s war saga yet after the group’s leader Yevgeny Prigozhin accused the Kremlin of deliberately bombing Wagner troops. However, Britain’s Ministry of Defence have now called the instalment “the most significant challenge to the Russian state” in a series of events that’s set to put the city firmly on the map. Rostov-on-Don, also known as simply Rostov, is the largest city in southern Russia and sits about 100km from the eastern Ukraine border. The population is about one million people and Rostov also houses Russia’s southern military district command and the 58th Combined Arms Army, which is currently engaged in major counteroffensive efforts against Ukraine. Rostov sits almost directly south of Moscow with approximately 1161 km separating the two cities. Despite the distance, a triumphant Prigozhin said on Saturday that the Wagner fighters’ sights were firmly set on the Russian capital. In one video, Prigozhin said he was at the headquarters of the Southern Military District in Rostov and demanded Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and the country’s top general Valery Gerasimov come meet him. “We have arrived here, we want to receive the chief of the general staff and Shoigu,” Prigozhin said. “Unless they come, we’ll be here, we’ll blockade the city of Rostov and head for Moscow. Prigozhin said in another video multiple military sites in Rostov, including the airfield, were under the Wagner’s control. Read More Ukraine-Russia war – live: Furious Putin calls Wagner mutiny ‘treason’ and ‘mortal blow’ to troops Military vehicles on streets of Rostov-on-Don as Wagner chief claims control of HQ Who are Yevgeny Prigozhin and the Wagner mercenary group The Body in the Woods | An Independent TV Original Documentary The harrowing discovery at centre of The Independent’s new documentary

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