UFC Predictions: UFC Vegas 33: Uriah Hall vs. Sean Strickland
After an excellent show this past weekend, the UFC returns to its APEX center this Saturday for UFC Vegas 33: Uriah Hall vs. Sean Strickland.
UFC Vegas 33 definitely lacks some name value, but with a number of exciting fighters in action, this should be a watchable show nonetheless.
So with that in mind, here are the predicted outcomes for UFC Vegas 33: Uriah Hall vs. Sean Strickland.
#4. UFC middleweight division: Uriah Hall vs. Sean Strickland
While he hasn’t lived up to the “new Anderson Silva” billing he got following his run on TUF 17, it’d be unfair to say Uriah Hall has been a flop in the UFC.
Right now, the Jamaican-born middleweight is probably on the best run of his UFC career. Since the start of 2017, Hall has gone 5-1 in the octagon, with his only loss coming at the hands of top contender Paulo Costa.
He’s currently on a four-fight win streak, although his last victory – a rematch win over Chris Weidman – must be seen with a caveat due to the horrific injury suffered by the former UFC champion.
Ranked at #8, it isn’t out of the realm of possibility that ‘Prime Time’ could work his way up to a title shot in the near future. This is especially likely if current UFC middleweight king Israel Adesanya continues to clean the division out. Hall is probably as good as recent challenger Marvin Vettori, for instance.
But to get that title shot, Hall will need to defeat Sean Strickland this weekend. And in all honesty, that isn’t going to be that easy.
‘Tarzan’ is an intriguing fighter in that he’s been in the UFC for seven years with plenty of ups and downs, but he’s still just 30 years old. In a way, his career is perhaps comparable to someone like Charles Oliveira.
Strickland is currently on a four-fight win streak, and he hasn’t lost since moving back to middleweight last year. His most outstanding performance? A TKO win over Brendan Allen that saw Strickland show some real improvement in his striking.
Given that Hall’s takedown defense is solid and Strickland isn’t exactly the best wrestler in the 185lbs division, it’s likely that this fight will be decided on the feet. Which throws up a couple of major questions:
Firstly, can Strickland’s technical, workmanlike approach really work against someone as explosive as Hall? ‘Tarzan’ does everything correctly, right down to his head movement and the fact that he fights behind a stiff jab. However, he simply isn’t the quickest fighter in the division and that might leave him open to eating something nasty.
Then again, Hall has never been the most durable fighter in the UFC. He’s lost three times via TKO and while he isn’t a glass cannon per say, he can definitely be hurt. Therefore, Strickland might be confident that he can perhaps stun ‘Prime Time’ with a stiff jab and then put him away.
This is a close fight to call, but considering that Strickland has been knocked out by an unorthodox fighter before – Elizeu Zaleski – and Hall is probably confident from beating Anderson Silva, the pick is ‘Prime Time’ via second round stoppage.
The Pick: Hall via second round TKO