Cannonier v Strickland UFC Fight Night preview & best bets

A battle of middleweight contenders Sean Strickland and Jared Cannonier headlines Saturday’s UFC Fight Night at the UFC APEX in Las Vegas. The final UFC event of the year should be a classic stand-up war between two fighters who like to throw down. Both Strickland and Cannonier have recently fought the very best middleweights in the division and will be looking to return to the winners’ list and end the year on a high.

Sean Strickland (25-4-0) may be the most amusing fighter on the UFC roster. His press conference appearances always deliver entertaining viewing and classic lines. Even his banter inside the octagon is hilarious. Strickland last fought against Alex Pereira, which looks like decent form given the Brazilian has since claimed the middleweight title by knocking out long-reigning champ Israel Adesanya. Pereira had too much power for Strickland as well, turning the lights out with a first-round check hook to the jaw.

Prior to that loss, Strickland was on an impressive six-fight winning streak, with victories over Uriah Hall, Jack Hermansson, and Brendan Allen. He is a confidence fighter, having won his first 15 professional bouts without defeat. Strickland fights behind a stiff jab that sets up the occasional straight right. His style is reminiscent of an old-school Queensberry boxer.

The approach works well against other fighters willing to stand and trade, because Strickland has perfected this technique. The weakness of his MMA game is pretty much every other discipline. He is listed as a brown belt in BJJ, but he rarely kicks, knees, or elbows, and reluctantly threatens takedowns. The blueprint to beat him should be simple enough: avoid the classic boxing range and throw long kicks from the outside and knees and elbows from inside.

Strickland’s most likely path to victory is a decision result based on avoiding Cannonier’s big strikes and outpointing him with volume. Getting jabbed repeatedly can be very annoying and may throw Cannonier off his game. The jabs may open a late opportunity for a knockout should Cannonier get tired and leave himself exposed.

Jared Cannonier (15-6-0) is coming off a dull decision loss to then middleweight champ Israel Adesanya, having earned his shot at UFC gold with solid wins over Derek Brunson and Kelvin Gastelum. Cannonier throws much heavier shots that Strickland with 10 knockouts from his 15 victories. He finished Anderson Silva with leg kicks and knocked out Brunson with elbows. The Texas native was beaten on points by Robert Whittaker in 2020, so there is a blueprint on how to bring him unstuck via the scorecard.

Cannonier has a purple belt in BJJ but does his best work on the feet looking to land heavy blows. His technique can look a little sloppy at times as he loads up the power, so Strickland may have a slight technical advantage. Cannonier seems to have better movement than his opponent, who can appear flatfooted during his bouts.

We are very keen on Cannonier to get the win, and we’re pleasantly surprised at his odds with the top betting sites. With Strickland coming off a heavy knockout loss, Cannonier might get the finish.

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