5 potential opponents for Sean Strickland after latest win
Sean Strickland extended his winning streak to six in a row this past weekend. He defeated Jack Hermansson in the main event and has now set himself up for some big fights at the top of the middleweight division.
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Strickland is undefeated since returning to middleweight and certainly appears ready to face some of the best in the division after his performance on Saturday. With that being said, it is currently very hard to predict what will be next for him given there are two huge fights at 185 lbs coming up this weekend.
At UFC 271, adesanya" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-is-sponsored="false">Israel Adesanya will defend his UFC middleweight championship against Robert Whittaker in the main event. The card also features another huge bout in the division as cannonier" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-is-sponsored="false">Jared Cannonier will take on Derek Brunson.
The results of those fights could drastically change the landscape of the middleweight division, which makes projecting Strickland's next opponent a difficult task.
With that being said, by considering how things may play out on Saturday and looking at the names of others at the top of the division, some names certainly seem to make more sense than others.
Here are five potential opponents for Sean Strickland after his latest win:
#5. Sean Strickland vs. Robert Whittaker
It's obviously much too soon to start thinking about this one since Robert Whittaker fights Israel Adesanya for the UFC middleweight title this Saturday. If Whittaker wins, that pair would most likely jump straight into a third fight against each other, if he were to lose, this Strickland vs. Whittaker fight would suddenly become a possibility.
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As we have seen previously, if Whittaker loses to Adesanya, he will have to face a murderer's row of competition to get back into the title picture. Having him fight the streaking Strickland could just be the fight to start him along that journey.
With the winner of Jared Cannonier and Derek Brunson presumably being the favorite for the next title shot, Strickland might still have some way to go before entering the title picture. If that proves to be the case, taking on the man who would have just fought for the belt would likely be the next best thing.