Sean Strickland continued his fine form in the UFC with a narrow victory over fellow middleweight Jack Hermansson in the main event of a Fight Night held at the APEX Facility in Las Vegas on Sunday morning.
Strickland moves to 25-3 in his career and picked up a sixth straight win with a split decision (49-46 47-48 49-46) match going his way against Hermansson, who drops to 22-7 and has suffered three defeats in his last five trips to the Octagon.
The fight was all about Strickland’s jab, with the American able to land effectively and angle out before Hermansson could do any major damage in return. Strickland controlled proceedings and was precise with his striking – so much so that the announcement of a split decision win was a major surprise, especially to the victor himself.
“I would like to think his face shows the result," Strickland said in his post-fight interview. "No offense, Jack. You're a killer. But it is what it is.”
The victor also felt he should have been more ruthless: “I was being a pansy. I should have stayed in the pocket and thrown like I did at the end. Maybe, I let the pressure get to me. Again, sorry. I was fighting like a b**** out there. Sorry. Lesson learned. Won't happen again."
Strickland said he'll fight whoever the UFC wants next, but he would prefer a title shot against the winner of next week’s middleweight rematch between Israel Adesanya and Robert Whittaker at UFC 271 in Houston, Texas.
"I'm a company man, I'll fight who you put in front of me," Strickland said. "But if he has the belt, I'll be very happy."
The main event was not the only fight to be decided by a split decision, with the card-opener seeing Julian Erosa defeat Steven Peterson in the featherweight category by the same method, while the co-main event had Nick Maximov overcome fellow middleweight Punahele Soriano by the finest of margins.
In between, Bryan Battle claimed a unanimous decision triumph over Tresan Gore in the middleweight division; Brendan Allen submitted Sam Alvey at light heavyweight; and welterweight Shavkat Rakhmonov claimed the only knockout win of the main card by putting down Carlston Harris in the first round with a spinning hook kick and punches.
UFC Fight Night: Hermansson v Strickland – Main card results
- Main event: Middleweight: Sean Strickland def. Jack Hermansson via split decision (49-46 47-48 49-46), R5, 5:00
- Middleweight: Nick Maximov def. Punahele Soriano via split decision (28-29 30-27 29-28), R3, 5:00
- Welterweight: Shavkat Rakhmonov def. Carlston Harris via KO (spinning hook kick & punches), R1, 4:10
- Light heavyweight: Brendan Allen def. Sam Alvey via submission (rear-naked choke), R2, 2:10
- Middleweight: Bryan Battle def. Tresan Gore via unanimous decision (29-28 29-28 29-28), R3, 5:00
- Featherweight: Julian Erosa def. Steven Peterson via split decision (28-29 29-28 29-28), R3, 5:00