Sean Strickland
Key Stats: 0.69% bottom position percentage (2nd all-time among MW), +2.74 striking differential (1st all-time among MW), 73.4% significant strike defense (1st all-time among MW)
What It Means: Strickland is the kind of fighter who makes fighting look easy even though what he does has a high degree of difficulty. His stance is flat-footed and tall, but he has really good footwork when pressuring his opponent and cutting off the cage. He mainly utilizes a boxing-based approach on the feet, featuring a shoulder-roll defense that makes the most of his head movement and countering abilities. His jab is heavy and fast and has power moving forward and back. Strickland can stand-and-bang for five rounds, but if the fight moves into a grappling arena, he exhibits strong jiu jitsu, both offensively and defensively.
What to Look For in the Fight: Although this fight might look like a striker-vs-grappler affair, they both have complex shades of skills in every department. While Strickland likely has the upper hand on the feet, he’s not out of his depth on the ground, and vice versa for Hermansson in the striking department. Granted, if the fight is upright more often than not, Strickland is likely dictating the terms of the fight, and if it’s on the ground, Hermansson probably did something to get it there.
Co-Main Event: Punahele Soriano vs Nick Maximov
*Punahele Soriano
Key Stats: 4.44 strikes landed per minute, 1.58 takedowns per 15 minutes, 9:31 average fight time
What It Means: Although he has a good wrestling base, Soriano is a knockout artist who puts nearly everything into every punch he throws. He’s at his best when he’s not too wild, though. His left hand is particularly heavy, but he’s the kind of striker who is naturally so powerful that he does not need to wing wide, looping punches that exhaust his gas tank. If he needs to, he’ll start grappling, and he’s a fundamentally strong wrestler who can grind for takedowns. Ultimately, though, he wants to land that knockout shot.
