Sean Strickland's Middleweight Title Defense Faces New Challenge from Jared Cannonier

Sean Strickland's middleweight title defense faces a new challenge from Jared Cannonier, who is looking to take down the champion in the octagon.

What happened?

In 2022, Cannonier won a split decision victory over Strickland in the main event of UFC Fight Night 216. This win was a successful return to the win column for Cannonier after his title shot loss against Israel Adesanya.

Why it matters for Sean Strickland

Cannonier's win over Strickland sparked a fire in the champion's career, leading to a string of impressive victories. Strickland went on to win the middleweight title three fights later, and Cannonier believes that his win over Strickland was a turning point in the champion's career.

What comes next?

Cannonier is now looking to take down Strickland once again, and he is confident that he can come out on top. "I'm here for all possibilities to get that belt," Cannonier said. "I already got his card once. I don't know if he's moved past it or not. You know, if I had the belt twice, I wouldn't be hung up on any loss that I've had in the past."

Cannonier's next fight is against Christian Leroy Duncan, and he is looking to rebound from a decision loss against Michael Page last August. "No," Cannonier said bluntly, followed by a laugh, at media day when asked if the fight against Duncan would be similar to the Page outing. "Hell no. I want to win-all three rounds. Not just when I get my hands on him. Absolutely not."

Cannonier is 3-3 since his title shot, and he is up for whatever it takes to get another crack at gold. If it happens to be Strickland again, that's fine too. "I'm here for all possibilities to get that belt," Cannonier said. "I already got his card once. I don't know if he's moved past it or not."

The fire that was lit

Cannonier believes that his win over Strickland was a turning point in the champion's career. "One thing I've noticed with his career is after his fight with (Alex) Pereira, and then he had me next, he really turned around," Cannonier said. "He really started taking it to the guys. Doing the man dance, you know? He said after my fight, he felt he fought like a bitch. His words, not mines. I think that really lit a fire in his ass, 'cause when he came back against (Nassourdine) Imavov, he took it to him. Imavov couldn't last. The same thing he did with-well, it was close. He kind of dropped the ball against Dricus Du Plessis. But then he did it again against (Alexander) Hernandez. He did really well. I was impressed with what he did against Hernandez. And then again against (Khamzat) Chimaev, and that was very impressive."

Cannonier's next fight is on June 18, and he is looking to take down Strickland once again. The question is, can he do it? Only time will tell.

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