Sean Strickland, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Middleweight fighter, presents a unique and often debated style in the world of mixed martial arts. His approach, which some coaches might not endorse, has nevertheless proven effective, making him statistically one of the most difficult fighters to hit in the sport. This article delves into the intricacies of his fighting style, exploring his strengths and weaknesses in striking, wrestling, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
Nobody fights like Sean Strickland.
Striking: The Art of Consistency
Strickland is known for his consistent approach, employing the same weapons and game plan in almost every fight. While his fight against Israel Adesanya saw some improvements, it's essential to first understand his standard approach.
A boxer at heart, Strickland has consistently utilized a solid jab throughout his UFC career. This probing strike helps him gauge distance and inflict damage. Since moving to Middleweight, his hands have become noticeably looser, resulting in snappier punches that bloody noses and force opponents to retreat. He effectively doubles up the jab and often follows with a right hand.
In his Middleweight journey, Strickland has showcased his boxing skills in various scenarios. For instance, against Brendan Allen, he excelled on the back foot. While Allen attempted to establish his jab and kicks, Strickland effectively intercepted Allen's jab with his own. He also mitigated low kicks by securing an early takedown.
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By neutralizing Allen's range offense, Strickland landed more impactful shots, prompting Allen to press forward even more aggressively. Despite being perceived as flat-footed, Strickland displayed impressive directional changes in the pocket. He would wait for Allen to attack, then evade at an angle, often stepping to his left behind a check left hook or intercepting right hook across the center line.
Allen did manage to land some shots, but he consistently walked into harder ones while trying to force a scrap. Strickland then planted his feet and really sat on a counter two-three combination. Both punches landed clean, and Strickland swarmed hard to score the finish of a bright talent.
In his next bout, Strickland walked down Krzysztof Jotko the entire fight. Initially, Strickland was having trouble getting his jab going and walked into left hands, but he soon made smart adjustments. He began leading with his cross and following up with the left hook, which can often catch Southpaws blind.
Jotko was avoiding the pocket and staying evasive, which forced Strickland to kick more often. He first established a front kick up the middle with his right leg. Then, Strickland began targeting the lead calf with switch kicks. Throughout the second half of the fight, Strickland was lifting his knees in marching steps, keeping his foe confused on which strike was coming and helping him to land more and more significant calf kicks. The slower Jotko’s feet grew, the more Strickland touched him with punches.
The same weapons - mostly straight punches, some kicks mixed in - but applied very differently.
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A highlight of Strickland’s kickboxing came when he defeated Uriah Hall primarily by out-jabbing “Prime Time,” which is no easy feat. Hall’s best weapon is his jab, a powerful tool that capitalizes on his massive reach. Despite this, Strickland was able to outwork him with his own lead hand for a number of reasons.
For one, Strickland was throwing more jabs. Hall’s jab is a piston, but Strickland was likely throwing three jabs for each of his opponents - the simple numbers game counts for quite a bit. In addition, Strickland was well-prepared for Hall’s jab, making the adjustment of sliding his right hand in front of his chin, keeping it there and ready to parry. As a result, he was able to fire back right away, further discouraging Hall from jabbing with him.
Many exchanges went something like this: Strickland flicked a jab, Hall attempted to answer with a power jab that was parried, and Strickland immediately fired back a jab or left hook of his own. Now, Strickland definitely got stung right on the nose a few times in the process, but winning the jab battle allowed him to keep Hall on his back foot and prevent many of his big swings before they happened.
Strickland’s defense has to be mentioned as a strength, even if it played into Alex Pereira’s hands. Strickland really excels at parrying punches and checking hands while advancing. Even when shots do land, he does good work in rolling with them, and in general is statistically one of the more difficult to hit men at 185 pounds. Unlike the vast majority of MMA fighters, Strickland is generally comfortable and competent at seeing punches in the pocket, likely a testament to the mass amounts of sparring Strickland tends to do.
Strickland’s ability to parry shots and fire back - on the counter or lead foot - is a core component of his game. It’s pretty much what makes Sean Strickland who he is as an athlete. Though adding takedowns into his attack would’ve been wise, it shouldn’t be a surprise that Strickland remained true to his style against Pereira. Going against elite opposition and only bringing one’s B game to the table is a difficult prospect, even if Pereira’s left hook demanded an adjustment.
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For some more recent analysis, Strickland’s bout with Cannonier showed off his strengths and weaknesses really well. On one hand, Strickland rarely was hit clean. He was very successful in parrying away Cannonier’s many big swings, and his own straight punches definitely shook Cannonier on several occasions.
On the negative side, Strickland’s lead leg definitely got chewed up. He managed to check a few kicks and never truly looked limited by the damage, but low kicks definitely swayed close rounds for Cannonier. Similarly, Strickland failed to commit to his counter punching. Often, he’d parry a combination then reset and jab, rather than try to punish Cannonier’s attempts at offense right away with heavier shots. These two factors cost him the razor-thin decision.
Strickland’s last two fights showed the value of consistency and experience. Against Nassourdine Imavov, unrelenting pressure and good boxing fundamentals made the athletic Frenchman look a lot slower and more pedestrian. His inexperience in 25-minute fights also benefitted Strickland, who just kept backing Imavov up with volume as his foe fatigued.
Fatigue was a huge factor for Abus Magomedov as well. Magomedov kicked the crap out of Strickland’s body and lead leg in the first round ... thoroughly exhausting himself in the process, because blasting dozens of power kicks is a lot of work! Strickland showcased garbage kick defense - lots of kicks landed cleanly or bounced off a single arm at the last second - but he endured the barrage without major issue then pummeled him in the second.
Consistency.
Adapting Against Adesanya
A notable weakness in Strickland's game has been his kick defense, particularly against low kicks. However, he and his camp made adjustments for the Adesanya fight. His boxing stance was modified to resemble a Muay Thai stance, with his lead knee pointed forward. He increased the frequency of his lead leg snap kick to the body, using it to find distance and disrupt low kicks. This leg lift also served as a partial check against incoming kicks.
Pressure also played a role in dissuading kicking. As Strickland closed the distance, Adesanya had fewer opportunities to kick at will. Strickland also improved his cage cutting, which contributed to his overall success.
Finally, Strickland simply seemed well-prepared for Adesanya’s primary boxing attack: straight punches and the check left hook. Strickland’s ability to parry well countered the former, and sneaking his own right cross inside the check hook proved a nasty way to punish Adesanya’s preference for the fadeaway wild hook that has historically worked so well for him.
The Sean Strickland System Breakdown: A Study in Principles and Tactics
Wrestling: Opportunistic Ground Game
Strickland's fights often remain standing, but he is opportunistic in capitalizing on takedown opportunities. He looks to catch kicks and transition to top position, where he can inflict significant damage.
Against Hall, Strickland actively pursued takedowns, shooting for double legs along the fence and securing an outside trip in the open. He found success getting behind Hall and dragging him down, even using a standing hook to trip his opponent.
Defensively, Strickland has defended an impressive 84 percent of takedowns. He often uses the fence to defend, leaning against it and spreading his legs wide. He effectively hand-fights from this position, preventing opponents from locking up double legs and keeping them stuck on one leg. No opponent has successfully taken down and controlled Strickland for any significant length of time at Middleweight.
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu: A Threat on the Ground
Strickland has four submission wins in his professional career, with one inside the Octagon against Bubba McDaniel. This fight demonstrated the importance of strikes in MMA grappling, as Strickland's elbows and punches convinced McDaniel to give up his back. While he has attacked the back in other fights, he has not secured another rear-naked choke finish.
He did manage to do big damage to Hall from top position as well, convincing him to give up his back before the clock ran out.
Fortunately, Strickland has yet to be submitted inside the cage, either. He did scramble with a grappling specialist in Igor Araujo quite a bit back in the day, holding his own with the jiu-jitsu black belt and never winding up in trouble.
| Skill | Description |
|---|---|
| Striking | Primarily a boxer with a strong jab, effective at parrying and counter-punching. |
| Wrestling | Opportunistic takedowns and strong takedown defense. |
| Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu | Four submission wins in his professional career, no submissions inside the cage. |
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