Sean Strickland

Strickland answered questions about his ceiling by breaking Hernandez with sustained pressure and cleaner boxing over three rounds. The third-round stoppage was one of his more emphatic recent wins and kept him in immediate title range before UFC 328.

Key moments

• Headlined and finished a dangerous middleweight contender.
• Volume boxing piled up until the round-three stoppage at 2:23.
• A statement win after back-to-back title-fight losses.

The rematch with du Plessis again demanded all five rounds, but this time the champion left less room for debate. Strickland stayed competitive in boxing range, yet du Plessis was busier and more varied often enough to win a unanimous decision.

Key moments

• Second title-fight loss to Dricus du Plessis.
• Another five-round middleweight championship bout.
• Strickland's jab kept the fight competitive, but not enough to swing the cards.
• Forced him back into contender mode.

Strickland's first defense turned into a tight, awkward title fight with du Plessis in Toronto.

Key moments

• Lost the UFC Middleweight Championship.
• A split decision over five rounds in Toronto.
• The fight stayed competitive throughout with no clear runaway stretch.
• Ended his reign one fight after the Adesanya upset.

The upset mattered because it turned years of high-volume pressure fighting into a championship result against one of the division's most established names.

Key moments

• Won the UFC Middleweight Championship by unanimous decision.
• Handled all five rounds against one of the era's dominant middleweight champions.
• It pushed Strickland from perennial contender into undisputed titleholder.

Strickland wore down Abusupiyan Magomedov in his July 2023 headliner, surviving the early surge and taking over with pace until the second-round stoppage. The fight fit the pattern that defines his best work: steady jab pressure, defensive discipline, and a willingness to drown opponents once their first burst fades.

Key moments

• Headlined and finished Magomedov by TKO at 4:20 of round two.
• Strickland absorbed the early danger, then took over once the pace turned in his favor.
• The win steadied him after back-to-back losses to Pereira and Cannonier.
• It set up the title-shot opportunity he cashed in against Adesanya two months later.

Against Nassourdine Imavov, Strickland got back to his long-fight strengths and banked a five-round unanimous decision in another headlining spot.

Key moments

• Won a five-round unanimous decision in a main event.
• The fight snapped his two-bout skid from the Cannonier and Pereira losses.
• It showed he could still carry pace and output over championship-length distance.
• The victory was followed by the Magomedov stoppage and then the Adesanya title upset.

The Hall fight was another example of Strickland making his pace the story, as he controlled five rounds and won a unanimous decision in a main-event slot.

Key moments

• Won all five rounds on the way to a unanimous decision.
• It followed earlier 2021 wins over Krzysztof Jotko and Brendan Allen.
• The Hall win set up the Hermansson main event the following February.

The setback halted his welterweight progress and forced a much longer reset than the earlier decision defeats had.

Key moments

• Lost by spinning wheel kick and punches at 3:40 of round one.
• The defeat followed a decision win over Court McGee.
• Strickland did not fight again for nearly two years before returning in late 2018.

Kamaru Usman outworked Strickland over three rounds and handed him a unanimous decision loss in April 2017.

Key moments

• Dropped a unanimous decision after three rounds.
• It came during his welterweight phase before the later middleweight rebuild.
• He rebounded with a win over Court McGee before the Zaleski knockout loss.

Santiago Ponzinibbio beat Strickland by Decision (Unanimous) after all three rounds, handing him a setback without the kind of collapse that usually comes with a stoppage loss.

Key moments

• Santiago Ponzinibbio won by Decision (Unanimous) after all three rounds.
• The bout went the distance rather than turning on a single finishing sequence.
• Strickland responded with 3 consecutive wins afterward.

Strickland beat Bubba McDaniel with a first-round rear-naked choke to earn his first UFC finish.

Key moments

• Earned a first-round rear-naked choke at 4:33.
• It was his first UFC stoppage win.
• He followed it with a split-decision win over Luke Barnatt before suffering his first pro loss.