Jared Cannonier vs Sean Strickland is the main event of the UFC Fight Night 216 a.k.a. UFC on ESPN+ 74 or UFC Vegas 66. This is a middleweight fight between two high-flying fighters with impressive records and championship ambitions.
Cannonier is 15-6 overall with his most recent fight being a UFC Middleweight title fight against Israel Adesanya. He lost that fight and is now looking to bounce back on the winning track with a win over Sean Strickland (25-4) who’s also coming off a loss (to Alex Pereira) which ended his fantastic 6-win run.
Jared Cannonier vs Sean Strickland Odds
Match-Winner
| Jared Cannonier | -111 |
| Sean Strickland | -115 |
*Odds taken from FanDuel on Monday, December 12.
When, Where, and How to Watch?
- Place: UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada
- Date: Saturday, December 17, 2022
- Time: 7:00 PM ET
- How to Watch: ESPN+
Jared Cannonier Might Be Too Powerful for Strickland
Cannonier is a former Light Heavyweight fighter whose record since coming to the UFC Middleweight division is 5-2. Both of those losses happened by decision, while four of his middleweight wins happened by KO/TKO.
That’s no surprise given the fact that the Killa Gorilla is one of the hardest punchers in this division. He’s an aggressive fighter who likes to finish his fights early. Cannonier is also decent when it comes to takedown defense and has amazing stamina. Two of his previous fights lasted for 25 minutes, which is proof that he’s got the lungs to fight for a long time.
This time, however, we don’t think he’ll have to stay in the octagon for too long. It’s just that he looks way too powerful for Strickland.
Sean Strickland Still Dreaming Big
Strickland is 25-4 overall with two losses by KO and two by decision. Both of those KO losses happened in the UFC – to Alex Pereira and Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos. When it comes to his wins, 10 happened by KO/TKO, four by submission, and 11 by decision.
Most of Strickland’s recent wins happened by decision. In fact, seven of his previous 10 wins happened this way. This includes two main events, each of which had five rounds.
Knowing this, it’s clear that Strickland can fight smart, with stamina that can keep him inside the octagon until the final bell against almost every rival. We say “almost” because his fight with Cannonier probably won’t go the distance.
Jared Cannonier vs Sean Strickland Prediction
Cannonier is one of the most powerful fighters in the midweight division. Strickland is taller than him, but he used to fight in the welterweight division until 2020.
He’s a real athlete with a strong chin and a willingness to fight until the end. Still, we do not think he’s good enough to stop Cannonier from hitting him in the face with his iron fists. We believe Cannonier has the nuclear option to finish this fight early.
Pick: Jared Cannonier to win by knockout/technical knockout