After last week’s epic main event at UFC Vegas 32 Sandhagen vs Dillishaw, the upcoming UFC Fight Night certainly has a lot to live up to. By all accounts this should be a recipe for an excellent firefight between the two heavily lauded strikers, but then, that depends on what version of Uriah Hall shows up.
We all know Sean Strickland will arrive at the UFC Apex facility looking to bang, but will he be able to solve the puzzle or perhaps fall victim to the famed Uriah Hall spinning back kick that found a home on the highly favored Gegard Moussasi?
One thing is for certain, no one wants to see a repeat of Chris Wiedman vs Uriah Hall fight that saw Chris Wiedman snap his leg which dominated the MMA news airways right up until Conor McGregor met the same fate. I think we can all agree we have seen enough of that for years to come.
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So the question is, will Sean Strickland take advantage of the usual slow start we have seen from “Primetime”?
Hall’s last real showing was against an arguably past his prime Anderson Silva. The problem is that Silva gave him trouble in the first two rounds and ran the action, keeping Hall reacting to his every move. Of course in round 4 we saw a well timed right lead to a Uriah Hall knockout. However, up until the end of the third he looked complacent.
We could, of course, chalk that up to nerves when facing a living legend who Hall admittedly modeled himself after. Silva is always dangerous and had Hall backed up against the fence on several occasions until he came out sloppy leaving his head wide open for the taking.
Sean Strickland – MMA Boxing
When it comes to Sean Strickland, MMA boxing is his jam. Yes, he is anything but a complex, flashy fighter. But his boxing is relentless, you rarely see him throw anything less than a two punch combo and he’s patient in the pocket.
Take his fight with Brendan Allen for example. He just stands in the pocket and puts it on you. It doesn’t often look like much and he rarely loads up for a big shot. He just peppers you over and over again with the one, two and three punch combinations – until you just, well… fall down – unless your name is Jack Marshman of course.
Let’s not forget that UFC Fight Night will take place at the UFC Apex facility. Strickland was as epic with in cage conversation as he was with his combos in the hush quiet venue. We’ll see if he can get in Uriah’s head with a bit of his patented banter during the fight.
All that being said, the only knockout loss on Tazan’s record is thanks to an extremely flashy spinning wheel kick and follow up punches at the hands (well foot) of Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos.
There are a number of questions when it comes to UFC fight night predictions with this fight.
Will the 23-3 Sean Strickland (sherdog fight record) be able to stay in the pocket and frustrate Uriah Hall with boat loads of combinations?
Will Hall be able to throw Strickland off his game with good movement and unleash his deep arsenal of strikes at distance, possibly finding a home for his famed Uriah Hall spinning back kick?
One thing is for sure, this should be a fun fight to watch. They say styles make fights and this one has all the hallmarks (pun intended) of a competitive striking battle for the ages.
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Excellent coverage!