UFC 253: Israel Adesanya complains to Dana White after Shane Young KO takes some shine off for Down Under posse
- Lightweight Riddell and welterweight Matthews take home victories from Fight Island – and stake their claims for rankings
- But Adesanya angered by ‘gangsters’ not making weight and demands change from UFC president after teammate Young’s KO by Klein, who missed by four pounds
Tourists from Down Under like to travel in packs and they like to party – for better or for worse, depending on where you’re seated. It was pretty much the same story at Fight Island in the lead-up to Sunday’s UFC 253, where fighters (and their posses) from New Zealand and Australia seemed to be popping up everywhere across broadcasts and social media postings.
Come fight day, and the preliminaries, and the party was provided by Kiwi lightweight Brad Riddell (9-1) and Aussie welterweight Jake Matthews (17-4), both hugely impressive in victories that should throw both fighters towards a ranking – and maybe even a fight with one of their division’s top names.
Riddell scored a unanimous decision over Brazil’s Alex da Silva Coelho (21-3) after three torrid rounds while Matthews had earlier worked over and taken down a legend in American veteran Diego Sanchez (30-13) to power his way up the rankings.
But the Down Under prelim posse’s day had got off to the worst possible start when featherweight Shane “Sugar” Young (13-5) lasted just 1:16 of the first, copping a left foot to the head from Ludovít Klein (17-2), then a flurry of direct – and brutal – blows that laid the Kiwi out.