Israel Adesanya started his championship reign in Australia and how he will return to the site of that milestone. The middleweight champion defends his title on Saturday in the main event of UFC 293 against No. 5-ranked Sean Strickland in Sydney, Australia. The last time the UFC visited Australia, Adesanya became the undisputed champion with a knockout of former title-holder Robert Whittaker at UFC 243 in Melbourne. Nearly four years later, he begins his second reign atop the division with a defense against Strickland, a veteran scrapper who will be headlining a UFC fight card for the first time. The main UFC 293 fight card begins at 10 p.m. ET.

Adesanya is a -650 favorite (risk $650 to win $100), while Strickland comes back at +450 in three latest Adesanya vs. Strickland odds. In the co-main event, heavyweight contenders square off when Alexander Volkov (-240) meets Tai Tuivasa (+200). Before locking in any UFC 293 picks, make sure you check out the MMA predictions and betting advice from SportsLine analyst Daniel Vithlani.   

Vithlani is a highly analytical UFC bettor who profited more than $6,200 for $100 bettors in 2022. This includes a documented 24-14 record on his well-respected, two-leg parlays. Every pick was documented on his public Instagram account.

From breaking down film and following fighters and their camps closely, to tracking sharp action and betting market signals, Vithlani covers the breadth of the MMA betting landscape top to bottom. He also trains amateur boxers and speaks regularly with MMA fighters to understand the sport's nuances.

In his SportsLine debut for UFC 283 in January, Vithlani swept the main card and has been a consistent winner ever since. At UFC 292, he called the victory for underdog Sean O'Malley (+210) against Aljamain Sterling (-250) in the bantamweight main event. Anyone who has followed Vithlani already has seen massive returns.

Now, with UFC 293: Adesanya vs. Strickland coming up, Vithlani has scoured the card from top to bottom and released his top picks and predictions. You can see those picks at SportsLine. 

UFC 293: Adesanya vs. Strickland preview 

Although Adesanya (24-2) is a massive betting favorite, there is more intrigue to this matchup among MMA observers than the matchup provides on paper. This is because the brooding Adesanya and loquacious Strickland have engaged in a war of words over the past couple of years in various settings. Many fans wished for this showdown to become a reality for no other reason than what is anticipated to be a memorable press week ahead of the fight.

Suring contender Dricus du Plessis became the top-ranked middleweight challenger with his knockout of Robert Whittaker in July, but he was unable to make the relatively short turnaround to face Adesanya on Saturday. So the UFC brass turned to Strickland, who has become one of the most popular fighters on the roster in large part because of his outrageous sound bites and irreverent sense of humor.

Following a two-year hiatus because of injuries suffered in a motorcycle accident, Strickland (27-5) returned to the cage during the pandemic to little fanfare. But he immediately embarked on a six-fight winning streak over the next two years and his popularity soared when his bizarre, rambling press-conference rants went viral.

Strickland, 32, lost a title eliminator to Pereira last July but has bounced back with a pair of short-notice wins against rising prospects to regain his top-five ranking. Adesanya, 34, already has defeated all top-five contenders outside of Du Plessis, so Strickland became the logical choice.

Adesanya's pinpoint striking and superior athleticism are widely believed to be too much for Strickland to handle. But the challenger's relentless pace and fearlessness are enough for some observers to surmise that he has an outside chance of upsetting the champ. You can see who Vithlani is backing at SportsLine.

UFC 293 predictions 

We'll share one of Vithlani's UFC 293 predictions here: He is backing Justin Tafa (-230) to get his hand raised against Austen Lane (+190) in a matchup of heavyweight prospects. These fighters met in June, but the fight was called off early in the first round because of an accidental foul.

Tafa (6-3-1) entered the UFC nearly four years ago as an undefeated prospect known for his stunning power, but proceeded to lose three of his four fights with the promotion, However, the 29-year-old New Zealander has since put together a three-fight unbeaten streak with two knockouts.

Lane (12-3-1) has 11 knockouts among his 12 victories and earned a roster spot with a win on "Dana White's Contender Series." But the 35-year-old Florida native saw his much-anticipated official UFC debut hampered by the no-contest against Tafa.

"Lane is extremely explosive and has seemingly improved his striking technique. However, I feel he crashes distance a bit recklessly. Tafa has granite fists, and he may only need one clean left hook or right hand to put Lane's lights out," Vithlani told SportsLine. You can see more UFC 293 picks at SportsLine.

How to make UFC 293 picks

Vithlani also has strong picks for Adesanya vs. Stickland and other bouts on the UFC 293 card. He's also backing a fighter who "has devastating power and nasty low kicks" to emerge with a dominant victory. Those UFC picks are only available at SportsLine. 

Who wins UFC 293: Adesanya vs. Strickland, and how exactly does each fight end? Visit SportsLine now to get detailed picks on every fight at UFC 293, all from the MMA expert who profited more than $6,200 in 2022, and find out. 

UFC 293 odds, fight card

See full UFC 293 picks, predictions, best bets here.

Israel Adesanya (-650) vs. Sean Strickland (+450)
Alexander Volkov (-240) vs. Tai Tuivasa (+200)
Justin Tafa (-230) vs. Austen Lane (+190)
Jack Jenkins (-190) vs. Chepe Mariscal (+160)
Shane Young (-170) vs. Gabriel Miranda (+145)
Jamie Mullarkey (-260) vs. John Makdessi (+210)
Carlos Ulberg (-260) vs. Da Woon Jung (+210)
Nasrat Haqparast (-450) vs. Landon Quinones (+350)
Charlie Radke (-300) vs. Mike Mathetha (+240)
Anton Turkalj (-125) vs. Tyson Pedro (+100)
Manel Kape (-380) vs. Felipe Dos Santos (+300)
Kevin Jousset (-150) vs. Kiefer Crosbie (+125)