MMAOB staff writer Adam Martin takes a deeper look at the main event of UFC Vegas 47, a five-round middleweight bout between Sean Strickland and Jack Hermansson. The event takes place on Saturday, February 5 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Sean Strickland (-220)
Strickland (24-3) is the No. 7 ranked middleweight in the UFC. The 31-year-old American has been on a roll as of late as he’s won his last five fights in a row. Since moving up to middleweight two years ago, Strickland is a perfect 4-0 and is looking very much like a contender. He’s always had great striking skills, but he has really grown as a fighter and as a person and he fights with far more confidence than he ever did. On the feet, Strickland is ultra dangerous, and on the ground, he can hold his own, too. He also has the ability to fight for 25 minutes no problem. Overall Strickland is an emerging middleweight contender and a win over Hermansson would launch him into the elite.
Jack Hermansson (+180)
Hermansson (22-6) is the No. 6 ranked middleweight in the UFC. The 34-year-old Swede has long been one of the top middleweights in the sport with wins over the likes of Kelvin Gastelum, Edmen Shahbazyan, Ronald Souza, Gerald Meerschaert, and David Branch. Hermansson excels in the grappling department and anytime his fights go the floor he is ultra dangerous and can submit anyone with a choke. His striking is also getting better and he has proven that he is super durable, tough, and has the cardio to go 25 minutes. Overall Hermansson has been one of the top middleweights in the sport for the last few years, but he hasn’t been able to get that one marquee win to get him a title shot. With a win over Strickland, it would help push Hermansson one step closer to achieving the ultimate goal, which would be to fight for and win a UFC championship title.
Fight Breakdown: This should be a great fight featuring two of the best middleweights in the game. In many ways, it’s a clash of styles as Strickland is primarily a striker while Hermansson is primarily a grappler, so this fight will likely come down to who can keep the fight in their own realm. Based on everything we’ve seen from him the last few years, Strickland should be able to sprawl and brawl, keep the fight standing, and keep the fight in his wheelhouse. Although Hermansson is more than capable on the feet, I do feel like Strickland is the more technical striker and he has a great jab. It’s a five-round fight and Strickland just proved in his last fight against Uriah Hall that he can go 25 minutes and work behind his jab the whole time. I think this fight plays out similarly to the Hall fight. Look for Strickland to stuff the takedowns, keep the fight standing, and pick apart Hermansson with his jab followed by his right cross to earn points and win a unanimous decision for a career-best win.
Prediction: Sean Strickland
