UFC 276 was a pivotal event for the future of the middleweight division. Not only was there a chance for the belt to change hands, but the same main card also featured a bout between Alex Pereira and Sean Strickland, which the winner of would seemingly be getting the next title shot(which was confirmed by Israel Adesanya himself in his post-fight callout of Pereira). Now that we know who the next title contender is, it is also important to look at what is next for the two middleweights that were handed losses on the main card: Jared Cannonier and Sean Strickland.
Luke Rockhold: Sean Strickland ‘proved how f—king dumb he is’ in Alex Pereira loss at UFC 276 https://t.co/SnHdB7eFfX pic.twitter.com/Kvo0s3rhQt
— MMA mania (@mmamania) July 8, 2022
Is Sean Strickland versus Jared Cannonier Next?
With most of the division booked up for other fights, there are slim pickings for Strickland following his brutal KO loss via a well-timed left hook. Jared Cannonier, who lost in a dominant decision to the champ, is going to be looking to get back into the pool of contenders. This is especially possible as two of the top five middleweights have already lost twice to the champion(Marvin Vettori and Robert Whittaker). This is even more valuable to Strickland who has yet to face Adesanya. With so few fresh faces in the division, even a win over Cannoneir can put Strickland up next for a title shot.
What Could That Fight Look Like?
For those who have enjoyed either of these men’s fights, it is apparent that this fight is more than likely going to be a striking match. It is certainly where both fighters prefer to duke it out.
Strickland’s Weapons
Sean Strickland is an excellent striker. His main path to dealing damage to opponents comes from his hands. He uses an incredible jab to keep his opponents at bay and set up his other shots. The utility of his jab has shown itself in many fights, such as his fight with Brenden Allen. The first round found Strickland consistently landing his jab and finding follow-up shots. Once the fight got into the second round, he landed a jab-straight combination that finished Allen. The value of Strickland’s jab presents itself yet again in his fight against Uriah Hall. Against such an excellent standup fighter in Hall, Strickland was able to negate most of Hall’s offense by consistently landing his jab. In these fights, Strickland was also able to put up a high volume of strikes. He often throws out lots of feeler shots in order to set up other strikes and make reads.
It is clear Strickland is dangerous and is perfectly happy to jab your face in for a full fight. On the other side of things, Strickland’s defense is also magnificent. He keeps his hands low typically and is constantly hand fighting in order to parry strikes and set up his own. Thus, he is often able to mitigate the amount of damage he receives during a fight. One exception to this would be his most recent fight with Pereira. While throwing his hands out to parry a lead jab, Pereira faked the jab and landed a powerful lead hook. Another weakness that may be apparent is Strickland typically has issues with leg kicks. He does not often check them, perhaps due to his high stance. However, it is unmistakable that he is a problem for almost any middleweight when on the feet.
Cannonier’s Weapons
Cannonier, like Strickland, is a high-level striker. Unlike Strickland, Cannonier is more reserved with his striking. As you can tell from his build, Cannonier has an insane amount of power. He has numerous knockouts and is a danger from the first round to the final due to his more patient striking. One such example comes from his fight with Derek Brunson, where after being smothered on the ground in the first round, Cannonier was able to come back and knock Brunson out cold with a series of brutal elbows(in all honestly, one too many). In his victory over Kelvin Gastelum, Cannonier was able to showcase a solid display of striking against a dangerous boxer. Not only did he rock Gastelum twice(a fighter known for having an incredible chin), but he was able to mix in great hands with nice leg kicks and a few head kicks as well. One of the instances of Gastelum being rocked came from Cannonier throwing a fake jab into a lead hook. If this sounds at all familiar, it is the exact same way that Pereira finished Strickland. Cannonier was also able to land a fair few leg kicks on Israel Adesanya in his latest fight, which would lead one to believe he would use these frequently against Strickland, who has issues with such strikes. One issue that Cannonier has had in some of his recent losses (i.e. Adesanya and Robert Whittaker) is that a solid jab can obstruct his striking. Obviously, Strickland has an excellent jab which may cause major issues for Jared and his ability to land any offense.
Needless to say, this fight could be an electric matchup between two great middleweight strikers. Both coming off of a loss, they need to make a statement to get themselves back into the title picture. With the rest of the top 10 fighters almost all booked up to fight one another, this fight may be the number one contender fight in the event that Adesanya defeats Pereira.
