5 fighters who could steal the show at UFC 293

The UFC is headed to Sydney, Australia this weekend for a major pay-per-view, and in the headliner, Israel Adesanya faces Sean Strickland.

Overall, UFC 293 doesn’t have the strongest card on paper, but there are definitely a number of fighters capable of stealing the show.

So while most fans will be tuning in to see Adesanya in action, there’s definitely a chance that they go away talking about one of these stars instead.

Here are five fighters who could steal the show at UFC 293.

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#5. Sean Strickland – UFC middleweight contender

If Sean Strickland can beat Israel Adesanya, he'll steal this weekend's show for sure [Image Credit: @strickland_mma on Instagram]

It seems odd to have a headlining fighter at the bottom of a list like this. However, while it’s fair to say that Sean Strickland could definitely steal the show if he wins at UFC 293, the chances of that seem slim.

‘Tarzan’ is not technically the top contender for Israel Adesanya’s middleweight title, and while he’s on a two-fight win streak, 2022 saw him lose to both Alex Pereira and Jared Cannonier.

To add to this, his boxing-based style does not seem like a good fit to take on Adesanya’s sniping style of striking. For all intents and purposes, it’s easy to write him off going into this clash.

However, in the world of MMA, anything can genuinely happen, and every fighter has a puncher’s chance. There’s always the possibility that Adesanya could take Strickland lightly, or ‘Tarzan’ could clip him with the perfect shot to put him away.

If that happens, then Strickland would undoubtedly be the talking point coming out of the show, particularly when you consider his abrasive persona.

The likelihood of this happening is low, but because nobody can truly be counted out, Strickland has to be considered a potential show-stealer.

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#4. Carlos Ulberg – UFC light-heavyweight contender

Carlos Ulberg has quietly built momentum in the light-heavyweight division [Image Credit: @carlosulberg on Instagram]

When Carlos Ulberg, a training partner of Israel Adesanya, signed with the UFC in 2021, he instantly garnered plenty of hype.

Not only did ‘Black Jag’ appear to have excellent striking skills, but he’d also built a fanbase prior to arriving in the promotion thanks to his work as a model and appearances on Australian television.

However, when Ulberg lost to Kennedy Nzechukwu in his octagon debut, the hype seemed to evaporate.

Since then, though, the Kiwi fighter has quietly put together a four-fight win streak, finishing his last three opponents via KO or TKO.

If Ulberg can take out the tough Da Un Jung this weekend, it’d be hard not to take him seriously as a potential contender at 205lbs, and he might even crack the top fifteen.

If he can dispose of the Korean in the same violent fashion he’s done to his last three opponents, he may end up stealing the show.

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#3. Manel Kape – UFC flyweight contender

Manel Kape's explosive striking always has the potential to steal the show [Image Credit: @manelkape on Instagram]

One fighter who definitely has the ability to steal the show in explosive fashion this weekend is flyweight contender Manel Kape. ‘Starboy’ is set to feature on the main card against newcomer Felipe dos Santos.

It’s almost hard not to feel sorry for Kape in a way. After all, he was initially scheduled to face former UFC champ Deiveson Figueiredo earlier in the year before the bout fell apart, and he was also supposed to face former title challenger Kai Kara-France before an injury forced the bout to be cancelled.

Had he faced – and been able to beat – either man, it would’ve been likely that he'd get a shot at the title.

Kape isn’t likely to gain a title shot if he can stop Dos Santos, but if he can put him away impressively, then it could well mean that he steals the show this weekend.

After all, ‘Starboy’ has a ridiculous striking game, as we saw when he dispatched Ode Osbourne and Zhalgas Zhumagulov in 2021.

If the native of Angola can put Dos Santos away in similar fashion, then it’s highly likely that he’ll be the big talking point coming out of UFC 293.

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#2. Tyson Pedro – UFC light-heavyweight contender

Tyson Pedro still has time on his side to break into title contention [Image Credit: @tyson_pedro on Instagram]

A few years ago, it looked like Tyson Pedro was on a direct path to becoming a contender for the UFC light-heavyweight title.

The young Australian destroyed opponents like Khalil Rountree and Paul Craig, and seemed to have all the potential in the world.

However, 2018 saw him blow out his knee in a loss to the legendary Shogun Rua, and following that, he spent the better part of four years on the shelf.

2022 saw Pedro return, picking up two stoppage wins as well as a tough loss to Modestas Bukauskas. However, at the age of 31, time is still on his side when it comes to breaking into the top fifteen at 205lbs.

This weekend sees Pedro matched up against Anton Turkalj, a fighter who absolutely looks beatable. If the Australian can dispatch him in the same way he has dispatched all of the other opponents he’s beaten – having never gone the distance in a win – then he definitely has the potential to not only steal the show, but relaunch his career in the process.

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#1. Tai Tuivasa – UFC heavyweight contender

Tai Tuivasa is one of the most exciting heavyweights on the planet [Image Credit: @bambamtuivasa on Instagram]

Discounting Israel Adesanya, who this weekend’s entire show is basically being built around, the fighter who seems most likely to steal the show at UFC 293 is Tai Tuivasa.

The Australian heavyweight is coming off back-to-back losses to Ciryl Gane and Sergei Pavlovich coming into this weekend’s bout with Alexander Volkov. However, there’s no shame in losing to either man, with both ranking amongst the heaviest hitters in MMA.

Prior to that, ‘Bam Bam’ had knocked out five foes in a row, including Derrick Lewis, and had established himself as one of the world’s top heavyweights.

More to the point, win or lose, Tuivasa is one of the most exciting fighters on the entire roster to watch. He always comes to knock his opponent out, and is more than willing to put his body on the line in the process.

Sure, that means he can suffer some bad knockouts, but it also means that he can easily steal the show, particularly when you also consider the amount of charisma he has.

Essentially, if Tuivasa can take out Volkov – and if he can celebrate with his trademark ‘shoey’ – then he could well be the man that everyone’s talking about after this weekend’s event.