3 biggest takeaways from UFC on ESPN 47: Is Kevin Lee’s second stint already doomed?
What mattered most at UFC on ESPN 47 in Las Vegas? Here are a few post-fight musings …
Kevin Lee's disastrous return
Gobble up the Grant Dawson stock
Sean Strickland's place in the title picture
Sean Strickland did what he does best in the main event and matched forward throwing punches at Abus Magomedov until he finally couldn’t take it any more and crumbled for a second-round TKO.
This performance from Strickland (27-5 MMA, 14-5 UFC) wasn’t anything glaringly outside the norm. He had his normal approach, but the difference is this time had an opponent who was a step down in competition from the constant stream of elite names he’s faced in recent years.
That is not a disrespect to Magomedov (25-5-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC), either. However, there were many who questioned his placement in this headlining role, and Strickland proved he didn’t belong at this stage of his career.
The upside, though, is the matchmaking gave Strickland a chance to shine, and deliver a win that set up him to ask for a middleweight title shot against Israel Adesanya. And quite frankly, I don’t think it’s out of the question.
Before that statement frazzles you, let me be clear: Strickland absolutely does not deserve to jump ahead of the Robert Whittaker vs. Dricus Du Plessis winner from UFC 290, which is now just days away at International Fight Week in Las Vegas.
The only circumstance in which Strickland would get a shot ahead of Whittaker or Du Plessis would be for injury or availability-related reasons. If the winner of that fight can’t go vs. Adesanya at UFC 293 on Sept. 9 in Sydney, then Strickland should be the promotion’s first phone call.
Would Strickland have a chance to dethrone Adesanya? It would be a stiff task for him. He presents a fresh challenger to the champ, though, and also would make the build to the fight an intriguing one.
This situation will have much more clarity in the next few days, but for now, Strickland did about as much as he possibly could to help his case.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 47.
