On this day: Sean Strickland gave a wild victory of the coming back knockout.
Former UFC Middleweight Champion Sean Strickland is known for the exhausting of many of his opponents, including in recent victories over Paulo Costa and Israel Adesanya. But his most recent knockout victory showed his sustainability and ruthlessness in the Achthoek.
Strickland and Abus Magomedov clashed in a middleweight headliner in July 2023. The UFC Fight Night at the Apex contained Strickland's return to 185 pounds after the outpits of Nassourdine Imavov in a slightly heavyweight fight just a few months earlier.
At the time, Magomedov was labeled as a potential middleweight boogeyman by UFC CEO Dana White. White claimed that a lot of middleweight contenders made a matchup with Magomedov, before the matchmakers contacted Strickland.
Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty images
The last Ko of Sean Strickland came after a wild first round against Abus Magomedov
While Strickland vs. Magomedov was booked for a five -round main event, Magomedov fought as if the matchup was set for just one round when he kept an eye on Strickland in the opening minutes.
Magomedov had seriously injured Strickland after landing a flash of bumps in the first minute of the fight. Magomedov also landed a rare Takedown on Strickland, which usually has a solid removal to control the early round pace.
But after round 1, Magomedov seemed visibly exhausted after his hectic output at the start of the fight. Strickland, known for its conditioning and progressive approach to fighting, benefited from the fatigue of Magomedov.
With Magomedov backwards on the fence, Strickland Magomedov dropped with a right hand before securing the victory with brutal ground and pounds.
Only a few months later, Strickland was the UFC champion middleweight by removing one of the UFC disruptions from the UFC at UFC 293. He defeated Adesanya by a unanimous decision after dropping the then title holder in the first round.
As far as Magomedov, he did not live up to his first promise in the UFC industry corner, but the former PFL -striking has turned the tide with three consecutive victories. He has recently postponed Michel Pereira by a unanimous decision at UFC Kansas City.
Sean Strickland is in hot water after storming the cage to attack Tuff-n-supl Fighter
Fast forward to 2025, and Strickland is in a special position in its UFC career. After two middleweight title losses to Dricus du Plessis, Strickland is outside the title photo and is confronted with a possible suspension of the Nevada State Athletic Commission.
Strickland and old teammate Chris Curtis confronted Tuff-up 145 winner Luis Hernandez after Miles Hunsinger on Sunday. After exchanging verbal consideration in the Arena, Strickland stormed up and hit Hernandez before the security personnel guided him out of the Arena.
Strickland has since spoken a non-apologetic reflection on his actions on Tuff-Up 145 and doubled with storming the cage. NSAC may give him a penalty after they have punished the card.