MMA Event Breakdown - UFC 293: Adesanya vs. Strickland
UFC 293: Adesanya vs. Strickland
Israel Adesanya is one of the biggest stars in the UFC, and his star power has brought the octagon back to the Oceanic region for a PPV showcase. The champion will defend his title against a brash, unlikely American challenger in Sean Strickland after sending arch rival Alex Pereira packing to the light heavyweight division. Adesanya will anchor a fight card full of his City Kickboxing teammates as well as some local heavyweight flavor and a flyweight showcase for ranked fighter Manel Kape. With a ton of great action to break down, let’s begin in the welterweight division between two UFC debutants.
Kevin Jousset vs. Kiefer Crosbie
Fight Odds: -160 Jousset vs. +135 Crosbie
Weight Class: 170lb.(Welterweight)
Kevin Jousset is a French fighter by way of City Kickboxing in New Zealand, so he is likely to have the support of the crowd against the incoming Kiefer Crosbie, a fellow debutant from Dublin, Ireland. The home fighter will enjoy all the anthropomorphic advantages in this fight, as Jousset is 3 years younger (30 vs. 33), 3” taller (6’2 vs. 5’11), and he has a 5” reach advantage (75” vs. 70”). Crosbie is a fast starter with big power in his hands, sneaky hand speed on his reactive counters, and a big blast double he breaks out early in his fights.
The problem for Crosbie is he is flying in on a long flight, he struggles to pace himself deeper in fights, and he is going to have to close the gap continuously or get on top of Jousset to neutralize his opponent’s range advantage. Jousset can be a bit stiff and awkward on the feet despite coming from City Kickboxing. He has nice judo throws, including a hip toss he used on Jack Della Madellena on the Australian regional scene, but he has poor takedown defense, and he is liable to be taken down in this matchup, particularly while Crosbie is fresh. Crosbie appears to be the more intense fighter out of the shoot, and he has proved more dangerous historically against higher level fighters like Alex “Cowboy” Oliveira, so I’ll take Crosbie to spring the upset via first round finish.
Prediction: Kiefer Crosbie defeats Kevin Jousset via TKO1 (GNP from Mount)