UFC Vegas 66 Clash: Strickland Vs. Cannonier!

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Middleweight strikers Sean Strickland and Jared Cannonier will go to war TONIGHT (Sat., Dec. 17, 2022) at UFC Vegas 66 inside UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Strickland may be coming off a knockout loss, but it’s an understandable one. Alex Pereira is now the champion of the world, and he’s clearly the hardest hitter at 185 pounds. Strickland remains a highly ranked contender on the fringe of the title mix, so he shouldn’t be completely counted out just yet. Cannonier, meanwhile, also enters this main event slot following a defeat, though his loss came in the form of an uneventful decision opposite Israel Adesanya. At 38 years of age, the clock is ticking for Cannonier, who likely has at most one final run at gold left in him.

Let’s take a closer look at the keys to victory for each man:

Sean Strickland

Record: 25-4
Key Wins: Jack Hermansson (UFC Vegas 47), Uriah Hall (UFC Vegas 33), Brendan Allen (UFC Vegas 14), Krzysztof Jotko (UFC Vegas 25), Nordine Taleb (UFC Fight Night 138), Tom Breese (UFC 199)
Key Losses: Alex Pereira (UFC 276), Kamaru Usman (UFC 210), Elizeu Zalaeski dos Santos (UFC 224), Santiago Ponzinibbio (UFC Fight Night 61)
Keys to Victory: Strickland is a really crafty veteran with quite a bit of experience behind him. He’s really comfortable slipping and parrying shots from inside the pocket, which allows Strickland to pressure behind his jab and begin forcing openings for his right hand.

Did Strickland just get absolutely destroyed pressuring a superior puncher? Yes. Am I going to advise that he do it again in this match up? Also yes.

Cannonier is not Pereira. He hits hard, but he doesn’t have an instant kill shot like Alex Pereira’s left hook — really, who else does? More to the point, Cannonier has been jabbed up before (by Jan Blachowicz). He’s been made to look uncomfortable from the back foot (by Dominick Reyes).

Strickland has the skill necessary to touch Cannonier’s nose and keep him uncomfortable. If he can also mix takedowns into his attack — a miss element against Pereira, but present against Uriah Hall — that would benefit him greatly as well.

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Jared Cannonier

Record: 15-6
Key Wins: Derek Brunson (UFC 271), Jack Hermansson (UFC Fight Night 160), Kelvin Gastelum (UFC Vegas 34), Anderson Silva (UFC 237), Ion Cutelaba (TUF 24 Finale)
Key Losses: Israel Adesanya (UFC 276), Robert Whittaker (UFC 254), Glover Teixeira (UFC 208), Jan Blachowicz (UFC on FOX 26), Dominick Reyes (UFC Fight Night 129)
Keys to Victory: Cannonier has POWER! He doesn’t relentlessly chase the finish though. Instead, “Killa Gorilla” pretty patiently works at range, relying on sudden bursts and accurate counters to seal the deal.

Cannonier has the power to end just about any man at Middleweight if he connects right. In this match up, however, low kicks may end up being his best weapon. Strickland’s reliance on the pawing jab and generally flat-footed nature always leave him open to the low kick, but no one has really made him pay yet.

Cannonier has five rounds to do so. He should be looked to counter kick as Strickland jabs, and when Strickland does his lead-leg-marching-step-check thing, kick the leg immediately when Strickland puts his foot back down. Cannonier kicks hard, and just a few connections will effectively limit Strickland’s best weapon in a real way.

If Strickland cannot establish the jab, how does he win? He doesn’t have the pure wrestling to overpower Cannonier, nor is he going to be able to trade hooks with the harder hitter. He’ll be fully stuck, and Cannonier can swing away at a wounded opponent.

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Bottom Line

These two are battling over a spot in the Middleweight Top 5.

Both men enter in similar positions, having recently had their win streak ended by one of the top two athletes at 185-pounds. With Robert Whittaker clearly rounding out the big three, well, there are not that many top five spots available. Cannonier has one of them, and that position is certainly on the line.

More to the point, the victor of tonight’s main event will move forward in the title picture. What that means isn’t exactly clear until Pereira vs. Adesanya 2 (4?) goes down at some point in 2023, but safe to say, the winner is “in the mix” moving forward.

The loser probably is not. Consecutive losses are tough to rebound from, especially at this level of competition.

At UFC Vegas 66, Sean Strickland and Jared Cannonier will go to war in the main event. Which man will earn the victory?

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Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Vegas 66 fight card right here, starting with the ESPN+ “Prelims” matches, which are scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. ET, then the remaining main card balance (also on ESPN+) at 7 p.m. ET.

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