With the fight less than a week away, Maynard asked if Strickland would step in.
“I knew when I saw it was Mick that Mick is going to ask me to do something I don’t want to do,” Strickland laughed. “That’s when he said UFC would pay a decent amount of money and I said ‘Well, f***, Mick, I’m your huckleberry.”
Stepping in on short notice has been kind to Strickland before, as he accepted a same week fight with Allen and earned a Performance of the Night bonus for his TKO win.
The bout with Imavov will be held at light heavyweight, so that Strickland doesn’t have to cut too much weight too quickly. It was the best-case scenario for Strickland, who admits he hasn’t paid much attention to Imavov.
“I haven’t really watched him fight,” Strickland said. “I know he likes to bang and throws big punches.”
All that Strickland truthfully needs to know is that he’s scheduled to fight. He’s going to show up and he’s going to enjoy every second that he’s inside that Octagon. Wild on the mic and a savage in the Octagon.
That’s just the Sean Strickland way.
