by King Hazard
This month is shaping up to be a watershed moment in the UFC’s middleweight division. On Saturday, Jack Hermansson (22-6) took on Sean Strickland (24-3) as No. 6 vs. No. 7 at 185lbs, with both men vying for a title.
Sean Strickland’s controversial rise in the UFC’s middleweight division continues.
Strickland won a split decision (49-46, 47-48, 49-46) over Jack Hermansson in the main event of UFC Fight Night in Las Vegas on Saturday while predictions were speculator primer the fight by different sports platforms as on the Asian Vwin. Throughout the fight, Strickland used his jab to keep Hermansson at bay. Hermansson could not complete any takedown attempts, and Strickland was the superior tactical striker, albeit not the most aggressive.
“I was being a pansy,” Strickland admitted after the fight. “I should have stayed in the pocket and thrown at the end like I did. Perhaps I succumbed to the pressure. Again, my apologies. Out there, I was fighting like a b——. I’m sorry… Lesson learned. This will not happen again.”
Hermansson was ranked eighth in the world at middleweight, and Strickland was ranked tenth. Strickland stated that he would fight whoever the UFC chooses as his next opponent, but he would prefer a title shot.
Next week, UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya will defend his title against former champion Robert Whittaker at UFC 271. Strickland stated that he would like to compete against the winner. “I’m a businessman; I’ll fight whoever you put in front of me,” Strickland said. “But if he gets the belt, I’ll be overjoyed.”
The snide Strickland has been chastised for insensitive comments he has made in recent months, as well as several in-gym sparring mishaps that have surfaced on social media. Strickland stated in August that he “would love nothing more than to kill somebody in the ring” and that doing so would make him “super happy.” Strickland tweeted in December that if he had a gay son, he’d feel like he’d “failed as a man.”
Hermansson got off to a strong start in the first round on Saturday with calf kicks. But Strickland quickly settled into a rhythm, pumping that jab and angling out before Hermansson could respond with punches or a takedown attempt.
Summary of the fights
This was an action-packed night with great events. Apart from the middleweight battle between Strickland and Hermansson, other fights in the same weight class saw Nick Maximov take on Punahele Soriano. Maximov won a split decision 28-29, 30-27, 29-28 in a match that lasted three rounds.
The other middleweight fight was between Brayan Battle and Treseasn Gore. Battle won with a unanimous decision 29-28, 29-28, 29-28.
On the other hand, Shavkat Rakhmonov overcame Carlston Harris with a KO after smashing him with a spinning hook kick and punches in the first round. Their fight was in the welterweight class.
In the Light heavyweight fight, Brendan Allen defeated Sam Alvey with a rear-naked choke.
The other fight of the night was between Julian Erosa and Steven Peterson in the catchweight class. It was decided by a split decision and Erosa won 28-29, 29-28, 29-28.
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