LAS VEGAS – Jared Cannonier and Sean Strickland had their first and only staredown on Friday ahead of headlining the final UFC event of 2022.
Cannonier (15-6 MMA, 8-6 UFC) and Strickland (25-4 MMA, 12-4 UFC) are set to clash in a key middleweight bout in the UFC Fight Night 216 main event, which takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex and streams on ESPN+.
After successfully making weight, Cannonier and Strickland came face-to-face for a photo-op. And unsurprisingly, Strickland had something to say when his opponent got right in front of him.
Sean: "Do we look at each other?"
Jared: "We'll scare the sh*t out of each other."
Sean: "You already scare me, don't worry about that."
The Cannonier vs. Strickland faceoff at #UFCVegas66 had all the banter. 😂
Full story: https://t.co/5GnpmXNCCi pic.twitter.com/CTHd0P9PhO
— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) December 16, 2022
Both Strickland and Cannonier briefly discussed fear in a somewhat jovial encounter. Check out the video above.
Both fighters will be attempting to get back on track at UFC Fight Night 216. Cannonier looks to rebound from his title-fight loss to then-champ Israel Adesanya at UFC 276 in July, while Strickland also aims to return to the win column after being knocked out by Alex Pereira on the same summer fight card.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 216.