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thank you [Music] all right gentlemen you got your instructions earlier protect yourself at all times obey my commands how about we touch gloves good luck reluctant touch of the gloves between these two Sean Strickland and Nas ordin imavoff will go down as your first main event on the UFC’s 2023 calendar Sean Strickland in Black now sardini mavov in white first round underway look how close Strickland gets right off the bat standing straight up tall watch for double leg there that hook came quick and that’s the one that knocked him out and so that’s what he’s looking for that’s a good read and that means the coaches were smart pick that out know that he got caught with that one didn’t have a lot of time before Camp to do their homework from the film study perspective on Strickland that left hook is what uh pajeda touched him with and was able to get him so they’re looking for it and that’s what you’re seeing mavov look for early foreign how close that Strickland gets is what state oh got him with that hook that’s what’s going to be different for a mob off to adjust to is look how close Strickland gets and he plots forward and he stays in that range that’s gonna be different because nobody’s been able to pop off to sit still yeah he doesn’t stop that’s why but that right hand will stop you yeah that was the overhand right now he found a home for the left he mob off on the offensive early left hand gets through there for Strickland Sean look at him throwing kicks early guys yeah that’s a new wrinkle right it was pretty much exclusively boxing against Jared Cannon here last month I mean Strickland’s been tough to land on over the course of his career he’s just kind of he’ll stay close but he’s still tough to get that big shot against him foreign on somebody who stands that tall that’s straight up you got to kind of go to the body on a guy like Strickland if you’re a mother because it’s so hard to head hunt him oh stutter stabbing painted low did he mob off and he came up how close to that that was nice oh counter shot from Strickland and this is what Strickland wants to do he wants to head off a mob off crate the phone booth scenario over and over and that’s what you’re seeing him do patiently pressuring Sean getting aggressive here yeah he’s patient and he’s pressuring just right and this is what happens after you come off a very close decision like he did in his last fight you want to be more aggressive we said you know we’re hoping to see that from him maybe press the issue a little bit and here he is he’s definitely pressing the issue now he’s helping to clinch position he’s got double under hooks see if he tries to transition transition this into a takedown this is already more aggressive in terms of the output than how he fought canadier obviously was in there for five rounds that’s what he said he wanted to do was pressure for it and put his chin on the chopping block a little bit more he said you know what I need to take more risks and more chances I didn’t against canonier this one you’re going to see me take chances and he is okay each of these guys just throwing windmills a little bit I’m laughing because they’re such heavy punches these guys are throwing in such a quick scenario I mean they’re heavy and that’s what a mob off has got to try to avoid right he’s got to try to be the cleaner Striker and not get into those close exchanges because Sean does so well in close in tight keeps his chin out of the way even though it’s up I mean Sean really kind of does keep it up high but he has a knack for getting out of the way nice combination there from Strickland yeah he’s waiting for him to throw something into his shell and then he’s countering off of that offense from imaba he’s being first and third because you’re seeing Strickland pressure within faint and then counter in Marvel final 20 seconds of the first round total strike significant strikes very close evened up yeah I mean imavoff was ahead early but Strickland really has closed that Gap nicely one more exchange second round is coming up right back to action round two here Strickland any mavov all on the feet as we expected no takedown attempts I wouldn’t hold your breath based on how things are looking there’s a warning from Mark Smith the extended fingers of imavov on his way into the corner [Music] Strickland using the teeth to the body just trying to walk him down close space stiff Jab this pressure over five rounds is the key for Strickland just keep this noise he’s always forward he’s very look he’s moving back a little but you’ll see he’ll get right back on the pedal and he’s moving forward again and he’s on emava keeping him on his heels and that’s what adds up for Strickland’s uh style as the rounds move on Strickland slowly wears on you I mean just minute by minute second by second he keeps you moving back and you don’t realize man I’ve been moving back for 15 minutes now before you know it Strickland complaining about grabbing his glove grabbing and holding his glove no intervention from Smith oh looks like even a new level of anger out of Strickland nice one two three there nice basic combo the three landed and he just has a weird pause on that three he throws the two he ducks and then the three comes over at a different timing and that’s why it’s Landing he definitely has a style of his own with his boxing Sean Strickland but it is effective see like all this weird head movement he’s got to be careful though yeah he got clipped on that one they both took some shots in that little exchange and in the corner and mavov’s coaches let him know that that that’s when he’s getting caught with some of those right hands is when Sean’s dipping his head down and then coming over the top with the right driving time beautiful timing on that takedown for Strickland he’s telling he spoke about doing that just to break up the Rhythm and that’s what you got to be doing he didn’t do a lot of damage but it just to mix that in there keeps you thinking yeah nice work though from imov off to pop right back up but it’s good to see that from Strickland that he’s mixing in those takedowns and then again there’s some control time on the fans he’s pressuring forward and it’s not the takedowns per se that they’re scoring it’s what you do with him he’s still within the grass Pierce so he’s getting the control time but obviously did a good job to Spring right back to his feet final two minutes round two some more heat coming on these combinations from Iman nice right hand from Strickland some of these hooks from Strickland come in at very awkward angles and you can tell it’s catching uh Imam off he’s a very clean Striker off guard Dean Thomas has been with us all night long what do you see Dean you know Sean Strickland has made a career off of making guys that are better than him quicker than him fight at his level and when you fight at his level he’s better than you down there so he’s made a career off of that and I see him going in that direction right now forcing imov off to fight his type of fight in which he’s better at it against Strickland forces him back to the fence there you see the output numbers and The Connection rates and mavov landing at a higher clip but Strickland right there with him in terms of volume is keeping it close [Music] so the real question is what does Strickland do to make a his style fight what I see is he lands the jab early he keeps the defense tight and he always moves his opponents back and now you’re fighting at his pace [Music] I’m starting to look for some of these bigger shots yeah he’s waiting for the openings he’s waiting for Sean to throw one two or a combination sliding out of the way yeah he’s getting the timing now of Strickland he’s starting to understand the game Strickland’s playing yeah and he he’s making the reads back and out tagging him back third instead of wait oh got Strickland on that one heard him is that an elbow that got through there short hook it looked like it landed there right back to action here in the third round move back wait for me some words of wisdom there from Eric Nixa come in UFC middleweight Chris Curtis all right guys third round it sounded like Curtis wanted Strickland to start taking some of the heat off the punches saying he was throwing too much energy into some of those shots he may be a bit wide Curtis also mentioned the toe kick it’s it’s very effective I mean Strickland doesn’t wind up on it doesn’t really put a ton of power on it but just digs into your abdomen just enough oh nice one too he cleaned that up a little bit he he didn’t get as wide with that left token he didn’t dip his head out of the way so he could see the target better oh man more willing to trade in that pocket in this third round heavy action in close as these two just stand right in the center now with mob off skates around a little bit there’s that left high kick his Corner was asking him for ever and I’ve heard a few times call for the left hip kick and I don’t know how they want it to set up but you know how Sean likes to roll into that right hand and then come with the left hook well you could just as easily roll his head through come up with that left kick almost half you remember way back how Carlos Condit hit GSP with that back in the day [Music] one thing that might help Strickland out a little is going to the body he’s not really going to the body either neither these guys are really going to the body too much other than those teeth kicks those are the best economical move he’s made in this fight he’s going those deep kicks to the gut are really adding up maybe adding some boxing to there as well on a mob off you see Sean the way he’s frustrating him out of pressuring forward you gotta wonder if he can make him bait him into a brawl make him into you know make a mistake open and make an opening that he wouldn’t normally do like that something sloppy word yeah he’s getting frustrated even though he’s having a lot of success himself he’s a weird guy to fight man Sean is so good at kind of like how Dean said just bringing you to his style yeah has been a bit stifled here in this third round he hasn’t really thrown with the combinations with regularity as he did through the first 10 minutes [Music] it’s a nice leg kick that time it’s range that Strickland forces you to fight at it’s different he forces you to stay in boxing range the whole fight and most MMA fighters were used to the kickboxing range a little farther back and you can set things up more and so this Close Quarters boxing match is not what we practice too often unless you’re Strickland yeah right I’m gonna be sparring all the time with Florence gloves so it just creates a different style foreign [Music] to enter new territory has never had a fight go into the fourth round in his career fourth main event for Sean Strickland they’ve all come in the last two years or so nice counter there from Strickland he’s standing right in the pocket just just have a boxing match or kickboxing match because Sean is kicking tonight doing a good job with that left prod kicked straight to the gut foreign little friendly reminder from the corner of Strickland that takedowns are there yeah you notice he was breathing really hard after that last round and I noticed in this third round he’s really being economical like his Corner was asking him look how he’s not breathing hard at all he’s very calm right now Strickland so he almost even got a second wind it looks like in his third round yeah that’s a good point he really did he did look like he was slowing down a little bit slowing down but feeling it for sure this is experience that’s five round experience and he just got out of that type of fight and that’s why he’s got this pace he’s got this understanding of what kind of economy he needs to keep for five rounds and in this third round you could see he got a lot of his air back whoa from him and Strickland nearly turned it into a takedown but he backs off let’s take a look at some of this work nice 3-2 lands down the pipe for Strickland and right here you see a nice up jab from imavav and Strickland with another jab all night landing those Jabs that’s what he’s looking for that’s his bread and butter fly you heard the corner advice of fernan Lopez lead corner and head coach out of MMA Factory settled gone is here in the corner of now sardini mavov as is his brother and they said they want him to use his boxing but on his terms and they also believe they’re losing on points body had that time from Strickland Sean just gets his arms up in the way to kind of deflect your punches off of his arms he does a great job of doing that clinch initiated by him off Strickland able to escape easily to his right [Music] come on total strikes are basically the exact same right now through three rounds and change and what I expect for Strickland to do is kind of keep the same tempo all through this fourth as long as he stays through it and in the fifth you’ll see him really pick it up and try to win the fifth that’s his style most time in that last round he picks it up and almost always wins the last round so we’ll see what happens if they get through this one that fifth round will be a banger [Music] he’s slowly Just Landing more and more oh nice right hand yeah mob off starting to throw some power shots a little more urgency after his Corner telling him to pick it up it’s ripped him with a nice Lance I mean you know I was just looking at this you’d think Sean’s starting to slow down in any Lance a nice combination like that even when he’s tired though if he can fight economically at this pace all I need to see is that we have never seen a Marvel fight this style of fight in his career and we have seen Strickland fight this style fight his entire career and that’s all you need to know is one fighter is fighting the other style right now Strickland now just leaning on him on the fence as they go into deep Waters halfway through round four why don’t you settle fast Sean checking out the clock just seeing how much time you got to work with extra 10 15 tons of weight on Fight Night really works in your favor now when you’re out moving in the free-flowing middle of the Spate in the middle of the Octagon now your speed benefits you but in this style fight the fight we’ve been seeing where you’re moving backwards your inboxing range in the pocket and you’re in the clinch that’s a that’s a big man’s style and Strickland has a little bit more size in this particular matchup because of the weight class Strickland as he lunges forward trying to stay sharp uses speed what’s crazy is either of these guys can turn each other’s lights off with one punch for any second that’s the style fight this is they’re always so close to these to Landing big shots on each other and this is also I believe in Marvel’s first five round fight yes here we are in the fourth and you see him he’s he’s feeling it for sure there’s there’s no doubt about that Sean has been here there’s something to be said about that it doesn’t matter if this wasn’t the original opponent none of that nonsense Sean Strickland has been in five round fights that have gone the distance that experience is something you cannot train for dogs defense continuing to mix it up yeah Sean is pulling away badly in this round well not badly it’s still very close but he’s Landing the cleaner shots in my opinion this is where I’d like to see a MAV off if you could start to try to sneak in some knees and elbows just change up the Striking Style on Strickland Strickland just walked him across the entire octagon I want two from Strickland as the horn coming momentarily and we’ll head to a fifth and Final Round in our first main event of the year ready for the fifth and final round the advice in the corner of imaboff pretty simple you gotta knock him out if you want to get the Victory and you can tell he is feeling it holding on to the fence sitting on the stool Sean Strickland didn’t even sit on the stool between any round as we enter the fifth and Final Strickland believe that was a big Advantage for him is his mentality and how mentally tough he is as the fight goes longer that’s how it appears right now but imavov certainly has the power and skill to change things should he Land one big shot [Music] over the top from him thank you oh Strickland starting to unload as well the Ducks just at the right time and then creates an angle off the duck and it usually lands off that angle fundamentally he’s been doing it every single round the same thing and it’s just tough to tough to adapt to me oh elbow in close I was going to say Strickland try not to take any silly Chances with some control time along the fancy mob off landed a big shot now he threw another one yeah you’re seeing mavov switch to elbows now because of the close close distance a good adjustment but you can see Strickland’s obviously dealt with that in practice probably as well final three minutes the circle away does so stridwell still firing combinations he mob off quick on the one too yeah and now Strickland doing a good job of kind of grabbing a hold of him as he closes that distance Justin and malva’s really trying to get those combinations going not allowing him see let’s tie up let’s tie up a little bit smart game plan from Strickland in the fifth keep the pressure keep the dirty boxing going keep the clinch going and then back to the pocket boxing don’t allow mavov to be moving don’t allow him to use his footwork don’t allow him to use his kicks minimize his weapons and keep him eye to eye face to face for five rounds and that’s what Strickland wanted to do and that’s what he’s been able to do so far getting tired getting a little bit more loose seeing the last two months where the mistakes can be made of off his trying he’s trying to get the separation Sean doing a nice job just tying him up there’s the elbow again but again we’ve talked about it earlier Don mentioned it that that 10 pounds foreign in lighter it doesn’t seem like a lot until you’re in there and then you feel it in the wrestling 10 pounds is a lot that’s the difference of the of a whole weight class exactly it’s an entire weight class difference oh Bob still with a chance here as they swing in the center just over a minute to go Strickland now slowing it down again as he looks to Salt away the victory to start his year and what a turnaround it would be less than a month later after he goes five rounds with Cannon here he has certainly shown A Renewed aggression in this matchup significant strikes round by rounds Strickland really starting to pull away late B up the middle from imov off that was a nice read and it’s a little late he’s doing that could have happened two three rounds ago those knees he finds the Finishing Touch it’ll be right on time 30 seconds last 30 seconds of this war we’ll see who wants him more here dirty boxing Dodges the big hooks from Strickland center with 15 to go Strickland still marching forward throwing shots he mob off to the body and Strickland letting it all hang out final seconds and you can’t ask for more than that from Sean Strickland and final time this evening Joe Martinez with the result well ladies and gentlemen after five rounds we go to the judges scorecards and here are the totals 49-46 49 46 and 48-47 all for your winner by unanimous decision Sean Strickland