Chael Sonnen expects Sean Strickland to be a stern test for UFC middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev.
Strickland (30-7 MMA, 17-7 UFC) challenges Chimaev (15-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC) for the middleweight title in the UFC 328 main event on May 9 from Newark, N.J. (Paramount+). Strickland is a big underdog going into the fight, but Sonnen says the former champion thrives in that position. At least he did when he dethroned Israel Adesanya at UFC 293, something few gave him the chance of doing.
Advertisement
“If he got him out of there quickly, that would surprise me,” Sonnen told MMA Junkie. “If he finished him at all, it would surprise me. Strickland is made for long-distance, hard matches. Strickland does his best work, by the way, when he’s counted out.
“He doesn’t get counted out a lot, but he was a 6-to-1 underdog against Izzy. He’s only a 4-to-1 underdog here. He won all five rounds against Izzy. There’s something about that relieving of pressure and expectation that Sean rises to. I don’t know how that fight’s going to go, but yeah, Sean’s the guy, for sure. If Sean’s not the best fighter in the world, he’s second best.”
Strickland snapped Anthony Hernandez’s eight-fight winning streak at UFC Fight Night 267 to earn another title shot. Not only did he beat Hernandez, but he finished him in Round 3.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC 328: Analyst expects Sean Strickland to challenge Khamzat Chimaev
