LAS VEGAS – Sean Strickland is determined to work his way into another fight with Alex Pereira, and it all starts with the final UFC main event of 2022.
In his first fight since suffering a quick knockout loss to Pereira (6-1 MMA, 4-0 UFC) in their title eliminator at UFC 276 in July, Strickland (25-4 MMA, 12-4 UFC) is set to face Jared Cannonier (15-6 MMA, 8-6 UFC) in the UFC Fight Night 216 main event, which takes place Dec. 17 at the UFC Apex and streams on ESPN+.
It’s an important fight for Strickland, who prior to being halted by the now-UFC middleweight titleholder Pereira, had been on a six-fight winning streak and was on the cusp of a title opportunity. Strickland received much criticism for the way in which he approached the fight with the former two-division GLORY kickboxing champion, because he didn’t attempt a single takedown before being dropped and stopped inside three minutes.
