Sean Strickland is seeking to begin this year180 levels in a different way than 2022 ended.
2022 didn’t finish on an amazing observe for Sean Strickland, however he’s hoping to get 2023 off to a greater begin at UFC Vegas 67. Kelvin Gastelum was compelled off the cardboard because of damage and Strickland stepped in to face Nassourdine Imavov on quick discover. Strickland as soon as once more involves the UFC’s rescue and a win will go a protracted technique to hold him related at 185 kilos (although they’re preventing at 205).
Strickland’s 2022 run didn’t go in addition to he’d hoped, with a 1-2 document that yr. His final two fights have been defeats by the hands of Alex Pereira and Jared Cannonier. The Cannonier battle was an in depth battle that resulted in a cut up resolution loss for Strickland, however Pereira wanted lower than three minutes to place him away at UFC 276.
“I used to be residing within the matrix,” Strickland mentioned. “Not one punch landed. I noticed every little thing. However you may have judges that don’t know [expletive] about preventing they usually see an enormous scary Black man throwing punches and they’re like ‘that’s scary,’ he received the battle.”
Since becoming a member of the UFC in 2014, Strickland has put collectively a robust resume within the firm. He’s 12-5 within the Octagon. 4 of these 5 losses signify Strickland’s struggles to achieve title contender standing, as they’ve come in opposition to champions or high contenders within the welterweight and middleweight divisions. Total, he’ll carry a 25-5 skilled document into the competition in opposition to Imavov.
“Mick calls me and asks if I would like this battle, and he says we’ll pay you a good amount of cash and I mentioned I’m your huckleberry so let’s go battle a person,” Strickland mentioned. “The one factor the French are good at is giving up and dropping fights.”
Nassourdine Imavov wants one other win to maneuver into the highest 10
Imavov is driving a three-fight win streak heading into the UFC Vegas 67 major occasion. He’s 4-1 within the Octagon and has a full document of 12-3 since his skilled debut again in 2016. These three latest wins got here in opposition to Joaquin Buckley, Edmen Shahbazyan, and Ian Heinisch. Coming into this battle he’s ranked quantity 12 within the middleweight division.
UFC Vegas 67 takes place on Saturday, Jan. 14, 2022, dwell from the UFC APEX in Las Vegas, NV. Observe together with FanSided MMA for all of your information and highlights.
