UFC Predictions: UFC Fight Night: Jared Cannonier vs. Sean Strickland
This weekend sees the final UFC event of 2022, as the promotion heads to its Las Vegas base for another Fight Night card.
UFC Fight Night: Jared Cannonier vs. Sean Strickland features a number of excellent fights and will hopefully end the year in style.
Ready to close out 2022 with Jared Cannonier vs Sean Strickland 💥
[ #UFCVegas66 | December 17th | LIVE on @ESPNPlus ] https://t.co/DTbYDxwooq
Whether the headliner can produce fireworks is another thing, but with big-time action fighters up and down the card, there should be enough violence to quell the appetite of the fans until 2023.
Here are the predicted outcomes for UFC Fight Night: Jared Cannonier vs. Sean Strickland.
#1. UFC middleweight bout: Jared Cannonier vs. Sean Strickland
While this fight definitely won’t lead to a UFC middleweight title shot for either man, it is an important bout for both. After all, both Jared Cannonier and Sean Strickland are coming off losses and will be desperate to reset themselves with a win.
Of the two, Strickland probably has more to prove. He was thoroughly embarrassed in his loss to current champ Alex Pereira, as his striking defense looked appalling in a first-round knockout loss.
‘Tarzan’ had been on an excellent run prior to that, but in hindsight, his six wins don’t hold up so well. After all, his wins over Jack Hermansson and Uriah Hall in particular saw him do just enough on the feet to secure decisions.
Cannonier, on the other hand, would’ve walked away from his failed title challenge against Israel Adesanya with his head held high. Sure, he clearly lost to ‘The Last Stylebender’, but he did hold his own at points and was never close to being finished.
Prior to that, ‘The Killa Gorilla’ had been on a tear, taking out the likes of Derek Brunson and Anderson Silva, usually in violent fashion.
STATEMENT MADE.
JARED CANNONIER FINISHES DEREK BRUNSON!! #UFC271 https://t.co/kVt8PyJhUS
The big question here is whether Strickland’s jab and movement can keep Cannonier’s hard-hitting style at bay. After all, Hall was the flashier, heavier striker in his bout with ‘Tarzan’ and he simply couldn’t get anything going.
If Strickland’s striking defense is anything like he displayed against Pereira, then this should be easy for Cannonier. However, it’s unlikely that will be the case. ‘Tarzan’ will surely have learned to be more careful after that defeat.
However, he won’t enjoy a reach advantage over Cannonier, probably won’t be able to take him down, and it’s unlikely that ‘The Killa Gorilla’ will let himself be jabbed for five rounds.
Essentially, it feels like at some point in this fight, Cannonier will land a big, clean strike on Strickland – and then this fight will be over.
The Pick: Cannonier via second-round KO
#2. UFC lightweight bout: Arman Tsarukyan vs. Damir Ismagulov
These two lightweights might lack a little name value in terms of being UFC co-headliners, but this is actually a fantastic fight.
Both Arman Tsarukyan and Damir Ismagulov are ranked in the top 15 at 155 pounds right now, and the winner could well make a splash at title contention in 2023. So who will take this one?
Of the two, it’s arguable that Tsarukyan has been slightly more impressive. A stifling grappler who also hits very hard, he holds two losses in the octagon on his ledger. However, given that one came to Islam Makhachev, it’s hard to hold them against him.
Outside of that, he’s looked truly excellent in wins over Joel Alvarez and Christos Giagos, and it’s tricky to find a real weakness in the Armenian-Russian’s game.
The lightweight division just got put on NOTICE 🩸
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Ismagulov is actually unbeaten in the octagon, and while he has yet to finish a foe, he looked excellent in his most recent win, a decision over Guram Kutateladze.
This is a very difficult fight to pick overall, and it should come down to what Tsarukyan chooses to do. Perhaps the only flaw he’s shown thus far is a willingness to fight his opponents wherever they want.
Sure, it shows that he’s a well-rounded fighter, but could he have found more success had he not chosen to engage Makhachev on the ground, for instance? It’s a question worth wondering about.
In this fight, it’s likely that Ismagulov will look to keep the fight standing. Can Tsarukyan beat him there? Perhaps, but it’s more likely that he’d find success on the ground, where Kutateladze was able to do well against the Russian.
Overall it’s likely that this one will go the distance. It could honestly go either way, too, but given his experience advantage and lack of real weaknesses, the pick is Tsarukyan.
The Pick: Tsarukyan via decision
#3. UFC Fight Night: The Main Card
In a flyweight tilt, Amir Albazi faces off against Alessandro Costa. Given that Costa is taking this fight on short notice and is making his UFC debut, it looks painfully tricky for him.
@AmirAlbazi is still perfect inside the Octagon and THAT'S his best performance to date! #UFC278HE'S A CONTENDER FOLKS! 😤
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Albazi is unbeaten in the octagon and has looked excellent in all three of his wins, especially a victory over Francisco Figueiredo, the brother of current champ Deiveson. Therefore, given his opponent’s lack of time and experience, the pick is Albazi via submission.
In a featherweight clash, Alex Caceres takes on Julian Erosa. Both of these men have skills in all areas and are willing to get wild, so this is a surefire contender for the Fight of the Night award.
Of the two, though, Erosa has the better recent record. Caceres only just saw a five-fight win streak snapped, but ‘Bruce Leeroy’ didn’t fight many top fighters during that period. Erosa, on the other hand, has beaten three very tricky fighters, Hakeem Dawodu in particular.
This one should be fun to watch, but the pick is ‘Juicy J’ via decision.
In a lightweight fight, Drew Dober squares off with Bobby Green. This one will be fascinating, as Green will look to counter Dober’s more straight-ahead striking style, and it’s hard to pick a winner.
Dober is undoubtedly the more exciting man to watch, but he’ll have to be careful with Green, who remains an excellent technical boxer. With that said, ‘King’ has shown signs of slowing down in recent years, and if Dober catches him, then he won’t stop until the fight is done.
@DrewDober rips the body and leaves Alves in a heap, don't sweat the technique! #UFC277LEFT HOOK TO THE BODY!
👊 @DrewDober rips the body and leaves Alves in a heap, don't sweat the technique! #UFC277 https://t.co/gEr8IpXxts
It won’t be easy for him, but the pick is Dober via TKO.
Finally, at middleweight, Michal Oleksiejczuk faces Cody Brundage. Oleksiejczuk has always been a bit of an underrated fighter, capable of stopping his foes violently, even if he leaves himself wide open at times.
Brundage does appear to have hit a stride of sorts as of late, finishing his last two opponents impressively. However, his loss in 2021 to Nick Maximov remains a disturbing one on his ledger, and he’s also been knocked out before.
Overall, Oleksiejczuk looked good in his middleweight debut earlier this year, and with his offensive potency, he should find a way to win. The pick is ‘Hussar’ via TKO.
#4. UFC Fight Night: The Prelims
Picks in bold
UFC strawweight bout: Cheyanne Vlismas vs. Cory McKenna
UFC welterweight bout: Jake Matthews vs. Matthew Semelsberger
UFC middleweight bout: Julian Marquez vs. Deron Winn
UFC bantamweight bout: Said Nurmagomedov vs. Saidyokub Kakhramonov
UFC lightweight bout: Rafa Garcia vs. Hayisaer Maheshate
UFC welterweight bout: Rinat Fakhretdinov vs. Bryan Battle
UFC flyweight bout: Manel Kape vs. David Dvorak
UFC bantamweight bout: Sergey Morozov vs. Journey Newson