Chris Weidman believes fellow former UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland needs to find success in two key focal points if he wants to upset Anthony Hernandez at UFC Fight Night 267.
Weidman, who serves as a desk analyst for Saturday’s event at Toyota Center in Houston (Paramount+), is very high on the potential of surging Hernandez. He is backing the favorite to hold serve in the matchup, but argues Strickland has legitimate paths to get his hand raised.
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“If I was Strickland, I would be attacking the body and I would be going offensive with my wrestling,” Weidman told MMA Junkie. “You have to control Hernandez, you’ve got to slow him down, bring him to the mat and look to mount and try to finish and control Hernandez, because the pace is going to be too high for Strickland to deal with, even though he’s got great cardio and stuff. You can’t defend over and over and over again without being too tired.
“What I think he really needs to focus on – and I was talking to one of his coaches last night about it – if I was him, it’d be a crazy amount of teeps and body shots. Because we’ve seen him get hurt before. You’ve got to find those weak points. Everybody has it, and we’ve seen him get hurt multiple times to the body.”
Fending off Hernandez (15-2 MMA, 9-2 UFC) long enough to consistently attack his body is no easy task. Keeping “Fluffy” on his back long enough to create fight-ending damage or submit him is a tall order, as well. However, Weidman said it’s likely his only chance to get it done – and Strickland (29-7 MMA, 16-7 UFC) appears to be conscious of it.
Strickland, 34, specifically asked for the matchup with Hernandez, 32, to prove he is best suited to dethrone reigning 185-pound champion Khamzat Chimaev. He got his wish, and Strickland reiterated on fight week he will outgrapple Hernandez and prove that point.
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According to UFC Stats, Strickland has secured just two takedowns in his past eight fights. He is credited with zero strikes landed on the ground in either of those bouts. Despite that, there is much confidence from Strickland and his team about his wrestling ability.
“I will be stunned, but I just think that’s the way I see him winning this fight,” Weidman said. “I would be stunned because we haven’t seen him do it before. The other thing to think about is if you haven’t done something before, you’re just not as comfortable doing it. You can do it in sparring, but if you haven’t done it inside the cage where you’re taking a guy down, controlling him and looking to pass guard. We haven’t really seen that from Strickland. So if he’s able to do it one round, can he do it two rounds? I don’t think he’s doing that for five rounds straight. I don’t think he’s doing the Chimaev to ‘Fluffy’ for five rounds. It’s going to be too much. He would have to finish him on the ground.”
Ultimately, Weidman thinks Hernandez, No. 6 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie middleweight rankings, is “that good” and has the potential to deliver a one-sided performance and put his name at the forefront of the conversation for a title shot vs. Chimaev. He can’t count No. 4-ranked Strickland out entirely, but Weidman thinks a signature win for Hernandez is on the horizon.
“The last time we’ve seen him doubted this much was probably when he fought Adesanya, which was a recipe for success for him because he was able to shock the world in that fight and kind of outclass Adesanya. I think mentally he’s trying to go back to that space where he was for that one, which is a good thing for him. It’s a really tough matchup. I don’t think ‘Fluffy’ needs to change anything about him to win this fight. I think he just has to be himself, and he can win this fight. I do think Strickland has to make some changes.”
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To hear more from Weidman, check out his complete appearance on “The Bohnfire” podcast with MMA Junkie senior reporter Mike Bohn.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC Houston: Chris Weidman explains how Strickland can upset Hernandez
