Jon Anik explains why Sean Strickland deserves a title shot after UFC 302 win: "His skills never lead the conversation"
Sean Strickland's recent win over Paulo Costa was so impressive to veteran color commentator Jon Anik that he, on MMA Today, is calling for 'Tarzan' to fight for the middleweight title in his next bout.
UFC 302's co-main event featured a 185-pound clash between Strickland and Costa. While the fight was expected to be a barnburner, it failed to meet fan expectations. Nevertheless, Strickland dominated the fight with his pace, defensive striking, and relentless pressure, with Costa failing to impose himself in the bout.
Anik opined that Strickland's performance was commendable enough to warrant a title shot.
"If anyone deserves to sit right now for 12 months after essentially dominating Paulo Costa, it's Sean Strickland. In no other sport do you have to win and entertain, right? Even in a one-nothing baseball game, and I said this on my podcast this week. Everybody's given the pitcher credit. Sean Strickland essentially pitched a shutout against a very dangerous man in the top seven.I'm not sure what he was supposed to do."
Anik expressed such wonderment over Strickland's performance that he feels there is no other fight for him now besides a title fight.
"I know Eric Nicksick sort of came over and apologized to Hunter and Dana a little bit. I knew it wasn't the fight we expected, I thought it was going to be the Fight of the Night. But Sean Strickland, I mean, his skills never lead the conversation because of his personality. And I think his skills need to lead the conversation and his next fight should definitely be for the championship."
Check out Jon Anik's thoughts on the UFC 302 co-main event (0:29):
The difference between Strickland's over-the-top personality and his fighting style has been highlighted before. However, his promise to bleed for the fans inside the octagon fell especially short at UFC 302, where he had a tedious bout with Costa. Still, it was a convincing win, despite the controversial scorecards.
Sean Strickland wants to fight for the title next
The former UFC middleweight champion has been adamant about fighting for the title, feeling that he had beaten Dricus du Plessis despite losing the 185-pound strap to the latter in a controversial split decision. After beating Paulo Costa at UFC 302, he again called for a title shot, even saying so on X/Twitter.
"Time to sit and wait for a title shot........"
Strickland referenced how often he has played his role as a company man for the UFC, fighting well below his ranking whenever the promotion asked him to. Now, however, he wants to fight for championship gold once again.