The middleweight match-up between Sean Strickland and Jared Cannonier will stay intact, but has been pushed back to December.
The duo were originally scheduled to top the UFC’s October 15, 2022 Fight Night event, but a finger injury suffered by Strickland (25-4) scuttled the bout. Rather than find a replacement for Cannonier (15-6), the promotion has opted to keep them together, pencilling Strickland vs. Cannonier in as the main event of their December 17 card.
Strickland himself announced the new date in an interview with Helen Yee Sports.
Cannonier and Strickland are ranked #2 and #7 in the 185lb weight class, respectively. Both are coming off key losses, however. Cannonier fell to Israel Adesanya at UFC 276 in July, in a title bid widely criticized for its lack of action.
Strickland’s fight with Alex Pereira the same night cannot be said to have lacked action. It did, however, result in Strickland being knocked out in all of half a round after opting to go toe-to-toe with one of the deadliest strikers in the division.
That loss snapped a six-fight win streak for Strickland that dated back to 2018.
The UFC’s December 17, 2022 Fight Night show is expected to take place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. The following bouts are attached to the card currently:
- Sean Strickland vs. Jared Cannonier
- Julian Marquez vs. Deron Winn
- Sergey Morozov vs. Journey Newson
- Tafon Nchukwi vs. Jamal Pogues
- Amir Albazi vs. Alex Perez
- Bruno Silva vs. Albert Duraev
