Israel Adesanya, more partake in smoking ceremony

SYDNEY – Consider UFC 293 fight week officially underway.

On Monday (Tuesday locally), UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya, heavyweight Tai Tuivasa and more took part in a welcome ceremony with the Gadigal people of the Eora nation at the Barangaroo Reserve. The smoking ceremony, a centuries old Aboriginal custom, is offered to visitors crossing into their native lands.

You can watch the festivities in the video above.

UFC 293 takes place Saturday at Qudos Bank Arena. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPNews/ESPN+ and early prelims on ESPN+.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 293.