Number seven-ranked UFC Middleweight Sean Strickland headlines his third consecutive event in a clash against German up-and-coming fighter Abus Magomedov who will be fighting for only the second time on the grand stage of the MMA world. Sean Strickland has stayed the same, immediately thrash-talking his opponent at the media day, contending that the UFC does not need a non-English speaking Middleweight champion if Magomedov defeats him and beats the champion Adesanya. Strickland believes the winner of this fight will become the top challenger for Middleweight Gold. UFC on ESPN takes place this weekend at the Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada.
MMA: UFC Middleweight
Location: UFC Apex, Las Vegas, Nevada
Where to watch: ESPN/ESPN+
Date: 2.07.2023. 04.30
Sean Strickland
With the American top ten Middleweight, you get what you expect. At the media day, we got the controversial statements; next, we expect the in-fight forward pressure, lots of volumes, and more talk. "Tarzan" has competed in Welterweight, Middleweight, and Light Heavyweight since his 2014 debut in the UFC. He has lost to Santiago Ponzinibbio, Kamaru Usman, and former Middleweight champion Alex Pereira. After his 2018 motorcycle accident that necessitated a two-year hiatus, the 32-year-old went on a five-fight winning streak. He is 1-2 in his last three fights, losing to Pereira and Jared Cannonier in late 2022. He quickly rebounded from the split decision loss to Jared Cannonier on December 17 to take on Nassourdine Imavov barely four weeks later at Light Heavyweight in January 2023, winning by unanimous decision.
Tale of the Tape
- Age: 32
- Height: 6' 1"
- Reach: 76"
- Record: 26-5
This is a fun fight, man; it's just a fun f**king fight. It's like, you take Abus, who the f**k is Abus? Let's just say Abus knocks me the f**k out and he becomes the champion, who the f**k is Abus? Do you really want Abus as a f**king champion contender? Does that guy even f**king speak English?
Abus Magomedov
German mixed martial artist Abus Magomedov will be in the main event in his sophomore fight in the UFC. That is a statement of how highly rated the former PFL fighter is seen by the matchmakers. Magomedov is a dangerous fighter, good on the feet and the canvas. Although underrated by many in the fight world, he splashed into the consciousness of the MMA world with his 20-second knockout of Dustin Stoltzfus in his UFC debut. The 32-year-old is on a three-fight win streak, with his last setback being a first-round knockout loss to Louis Taylor for the PFL Middleweight tournament championship in 2018. With fourteen knockouts from twenty-four wins, the Düsseldorf-based fighter is 12-1-1 over his last 14 fights.
Tale of the Tape
- Age: 32
- Height: 6' 2"
- Reach: 78"
- Record: 25-4-1
We need to go back to taking women out of the workforce. Maybe that's where we f**ked up, you guys. We let women vote, no offense... You let these women enter the workforce, now we make less money. You got kids raising themselves on f**king TikTok. We need to go back to 1942... We need to put women back in the kitchen.
Betting Odds
Sean Strickland is the clear favorite at 1.545 odds to win on 1XBET. The German underdog is priced at 2.323. Betting that the fight will end in round one is 5.3 odds on Coinplay, with round two at 6.05. Sean Strickland by KO/TKO or submission is priced at 3.20 odds on Bet365—the sportsbook prices Abus Magomedov by decision at 6.50.
