MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom breaks down the UFC’s top bouts. Today, we look at the main event for UFC on ESPN 28.

UFC on ESPN 28 takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The card airs on ESPN and streams on ESPN+.

Uriah Hall (17-9 MMA, 10-7 UFC)

Uriah Hall

Staple info:

• Height: 6'0" Age: 36 Weight: 185 lbs. Reach: 79.5"

• Last fight: TKO win over Chris Weidman (April 24, 2021)

• Camp: Fortis MMA (Texas)

• Stance/striking style: Orthodox/kickboxing

• Risk management: Good

Supplemental info: + 2x Ring of Combat Champion + Tiger Schulmann black belt (2nd degree) + Regional Muay Thai Titles + Brazilian jiu-jitsu blue belt + 13 KO victories + 1 Submission win + 7 first round finishes + KO Power + Fast hands and feet ^ Counters and reads well + Dynamic kicking arsenal + Underrated Grappling ability ^ Strong defensive instincts

Sean Strickland (23-3 MMA, 10-3 UFC)

Sean Strickland

Staple info:

• Height: 6'1" Age: 30 Weight: 185 lbs. Reach: 76"

• Last fight: Decision win over Krzysztof Jotko (May 1, 2021)

• Camp: Syndicate MMA (Las Vegas)

• Stance/striking style: Orthodox/kickboxing

• Risk management: Good

Supplemental info: + King of the Cage middleweight title + Brazilian jiu-jitsu brown belt + 10 KO victories + 4 submission wins + 9 first-round finishes + Aggressive pace and pressure + Long and accurate jab ^ Coming forward or off the backfoot + Solid inside of the clinch ^ Strikes well off the breaks + Underrated wrestling ability + Good transitional grappler ^ From top or bottom

Point of interest: Clash of styles

Uriah Hall

The main event on ESPN features a matchup between two middleweights who are practically polar opposites when it comes to both style and swagger. An unabashed ruffian who will tell you that he was bred for violence, [autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag] brings a set of skills to the table that everyone should take seriously. Fighting to his frame, Stickland does a decent job of staying long with the occasional front teep and a series of stinging jabs. Whether he is circling with his jab off the counter or connecting it to crosses down the centerline, the jab is a shot that Strickland has had a nice feel for since entering the organization. When feeling in stride, Strickland isn't afraid to shift stances mid-combination in order to better target fleeing foes. And in his last outing opposite Krzysztof Jotko, Strickland was able to utilize said shifts to fuel a steady dose of low kicks that were quite effective. Nevertheless, despite being a fighter who can do his share of countering, Strickland himself is not beyond being countered due to his upright posture and propensity to move and follow in somewhat straight lines. For that reason, he'll need to keep things tight against a dangerous counter striker like [autotag]Uriah Hall[/autotag]. Despite often being associated with flashy striking offense and traditional martial arts tropes, Hall makes a lot of his money within the realm of fundamentals and countering. Whether we’re talking about the counter crosses that Hall has utilized throughout his career or his highlight-reel assaults, it's his ability to read and react that makes the Jamaican-born fighter's game so special. In his first fight with Gegard Mousasi, Hall was able to intercept him with a jump-spinning-sidekick off of the smallest of tells. And against fighters like Jotko or Bevon Lewis, Hall managed to keep his eye on the proverbial ball when under heavy fire, finding the target with his previously-mentioned cross. Since moving shop to Fortis MMA in Texas, Hall seems to be getting back on one of his most underrated weapons, which is his jab. Packing a fast jab from both stances, Hall seems to be seamlessly falling into Sayif Saud’s systematic combinations that he calls for from the corner. A decent manager of distance, Hall has traditionally used his foot speed and lateral movement to make his opponent’s reach on their shots. Hall has gotten better about defensive fundamentals and being less reliant on things like reactive trunk movement, as it’s cost him knockout losses in the past. However, with pressure being a prominent offering from Hall's current counterpart, then old habits could still be on the menu if he is not careful about his footwork and cage positioning.

Point of interest: Clinching in the small cage

Sean Strickland vs. Nordine Taleb

Although takedowns may not be at the forefront of either fighter's trends, I suspect that the smaller octagon will encourage more clinches and tie-ups that could prove crucial. On paper, it makes more sense for Strickland to be the pursuing party in this department. Not only is Strickland the more active striker in this space, but he also traditionally scores his takedowns from the clinch and/or against the cage. Should Strickland get this fight to the ground, he offers a ton of threats in the form of punishing ground strikes to solid positional play. That said, getting Hall to the ground is one thing; keeping him down is another. Despite being forced to play defense from the clinch for the majority of his UFC career, Hall is not someone Strickland can afford to sleep on in this space. Between the “TUF 17” finalist’s muay Thai experience to his freakish ability to generate power in small spaces, Hall can potentially end the night early with hard knees or elbows of his own. And if Hall ends up underneath his opposition, he has shown strong defensive instincts, as well as an ability to explode out of bad spots. Regardless of who initiates the grappling, expect the more urgent party to reap the reward.

Point of interest: Odds and opinions

JACKSONVILLE, FL - APRIL 24: Uriah Hall of Jamaica reacts after Chris Weidman of the United States suffered a broken leg on a kick attempt during UFC 261 at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena on April 24, 2021 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by Alex Menendez/Getty Images) ORG XMIT: 775646357 ORIG FILE ID: 1232508428

The oddsmakers and public seem to be confident in the younger party, listing Stickland -215 and Hall +172 as of this writing. Although I don't disagree with who is favored, I still find myself slightly leaning toward the underdog in this spot. Don't get me wrong: Strickland has looked great since coming back to middleweight, as him winning an ugly, high-volume affair shouldn't surprise anyone. Still, despite the smaller cage favoring Strickland from a stylistic standpoint, I suspect that he could awaken a sleeping giant should he fail to run away with the proverbial ball after stealing it. Not only is Hall a fighter with proven comeback ability and one-shot knockout power, but the Fortis MMA product also carries emphatic counters and a quiet consistency when it comes to attacking the legs (which should serve him well given the targets Strickland's stance tends to provide). I'm not too confident here considering that I'm ultimately picking someone to lose until they win, but the official pick is for Hall to survive some early storms en route to a second-round stoppage victory via strikes.

Prediction: Hall inside the distance

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