“The most interesting thing is he’s a Top 15 opponent,” Magomedov said of Strickland, who currently sits at No. 7 in the divisional rankings and enters the bout off a short notice win over Nassourdine Imavov in the first main event of the year. “(Fighting a ranked opponent, being in the rankings) are what most of the fighters in the UFC want to fight, and to get the chance to become a champion.
“Strickland is orthodox, he always goes forward, and he’s someone who is not scared to fight in the standup,” he added, offering a simple, but perfect, description of the man he’ll share the Octagon with this weekend in Las Vegas. “(He) is never scared of anyone, always fights with anyone, and I’m happy for it.”
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In addition to being willing to face anyone and always coming forward, the 32-year-old Strickland is also a very capable, very successful fighter in his own right.
The California native, who now calls Las Vegas home, amassed a 20-3 record before a grizzly motorcycle accident put him on the sidelines for two years and nearly cost him his career. Since returning and moving back to middleweight — he dropped to welterweight after going 15-0 at 185 pounds to start his career — Strickland has posted a 6-2 record that includes victories over Brendan Allen, Uriah Hall, Jack Hermannson, and Imavov, with each of those last three wins coming in main event assignments that went the distance.
