Sean Strickland vs Abus Magomedov | PREVIEW

Established middleweight contender Sean Strickland meets the former PFL
Middleweight finalist, Abus Magomedov in this weekends main event, as the UFC returns to the Apex in
Las Vegas for its fifth consecutive fight night.

There remains a perplexing aspect about this fixture, given that Strickland (26-5) is ranked
number seven in the UFC Middleweight rankings, when his opponent, Magomedov (25-4-1), in
comparison has made just one appearance in the UFC octagon in 2022 thus far. Nonetheless,
the pair are scheduled to tussle in a five-round clash in the main event for a spot in the top five
of the middleweight rankings.

Strickland, who has been a mainstay in the 185lbs weight class for the ongoing decade, is
currently coming off a much-needed victory against Nassourdine Imavov in January earlier this
year, having had a 2022 to forget.

The 32-year-old American was on the receiving end of defeats in both his contests last year via
decision and knockout to Jared Cannonier and former UFC Middleweight champion, Alex
Pereira respectively, before picking up a five round decision victory over Imavov.
Abus Magomedov, has had quite a stagnant past half a decade in comparison to Strickland,
fighting merely on five occasions since 2018. In contrast, Strickland has remained an active
competitor amassing 10 bouts within the same timeframe, with six of them coming since the
start of 2021 itself.

Magomedov has picked up four victories and one defeat in his last five fights, with his sole loss
coming when the stakes were the highest at the Middleweight Finals of ‘PFL 11: The
Championship’ against Louis Taylor, through a knockout early in the first round. His latest
triumph arrived in September 2022 during his UFC debut when he knocked out Dustin Stoltzfus
in 19 seconds of the first round. Strickland has accumulated three victories and two defeats in
his past five fights.

The clash will see Strickland be posed with a peculiar problem, considering, Magomedov’s
wrestling prowess as well as his kickboxing expertise. The 32-year-old Russian is a formidable
force on the feet as well as on the ground, due to the wrestling roots etched into his arsenal
from Dagestan since a young age.

Strickland’s striking is unorthodox and has enabled the American to out strike his opponents
over the course of 25 minutes to win majority decisions from time to time. The number seven
ranked Middleweight contender’s boxing and defense warrants him to control the tempo and
pace of the fight, whilst marching forward.

Magomedov and Strickland’s clash will be a decisive factor for the future of the Middleweight
division, with the 185lbs champion, Israel Adesanya on the hunt for fresh blood.