LAS VEGAS – Sean Strickland alleges to have no clue who he’s fighting, yet he’s still fighting.
The UFC middleweight contender takes on Abus Magomedov in the main event of Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 47 at the UFC Apex. Just days away from fighting Magomedov (25-4-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC), Strickland (26-5 MMA, 13-5 UFC) claims to not know much of what he’s getting himself into.
“I’m happy with Abus, but I don’t really know much about the guy,” Strickland told reporters at the UFC on ESPN 47 media day on Wednesday. “Do you have any pointers for me?”
Amid his now-typical vulgar rants, Strickland explained how the fight came together and why he accepted someone that wasn’t on his radar despite wanting a bigger name.
“I had no idea who the f*ck he was,” Strickland said. “So I’ve been hounding the UFC to fight, I even offered to do 205, but Mick (Maynard) didn’t want me to f*ck up the rankings because there are a lot of 205ers I’d f*ck up. So I had a conversation with Mick, and he pretty much offered me a couple of ranked guys. I said yes to them, they said no.
“So I had a choice: I either wait eight f*cking months or I f*cking fight. The money was right and here we are. I mean, we all fight for money. If the dollar is right, I will f*cking do it. We came to good terms and good pay, and here we are fighting Abus.”
The fight will be Strickland’s second of the year, and also his third-straight headlining spot. Although he lost a split decision to former title challenger Jared Cannonier in December, he bounced back into the win column against Nassourdine Imavov in the marquee spot of the promotion’s first event of the year at UFC Fight Night 217.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 47.