Sean Strickland expects to make a statement at UFC Houston.
Strickland is set to headline UFC Houston on Saturday against Anthony Hernandez in a pivotal fight at middleweight. Heading into the fight, Strickland is a +230 underdog on FanDuel, but he expects to hand him the upset at UFC Houston.
Strickland knows Hernandez is a tough out, but he said this is a fight he asked for and wanted, as he likes the matchup.
“I wanted ‘Fluffy’, I asked for it, he wanted it (too),” Strickland said to UFC News. “Stylistically, I’ve never done much grappling, especially later in my career; it was more of a test than I wanted. The guy is on like an eight or six-fight winning streak. What better name could you have to beat? Generally, he’ll take guys down and break them, but I’m not someone who breaks. So, it should be fun.”
Sean Strickland expects to TKO Anthony Hernandez at UFC Houston
Strickland knows Hernandez has been looking impressive, but he doesn’t take much into who he’s beaten. The former middleweight champion believes he’s a bad matchup for Hernandez and is eager to prove that.
Strickland not only expects to score a TKO win over Hernandez at UFC Houston, but he also believes he’ll outgrapple Hernandez before he gets the finish.
“I think I’m going to outgrapple him. I think we will grapple,” Strickland said. “I’m not the hardest guy to take down; I don’t care if I get taken down. I’ll outgrapple him and then I’ll TKO him in the fourth or fifth (round).”
If Strickland does finish Hernandez at UFC Houston, it would be a statement win for him. He also believes it should put him in the title picture at middleweight, but he isn’t sure what is going on with Khamzat Chimaev.
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