Sean Strickland had his way with Uriah Hall in the UFC on ESPN 28 main event, but it wasn’t enough to appease him.
Despite winning a lopsided unanimous decision by scores of 50-44, 50-45, and 49-46 in the middleweight headliner at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Strickland (24-3 MMA, 11-3 UFC) wasn’t entirely pleased. Mainly because he couldn’t put Hall (17-10 MMA, 10-8 UFC).
“I need to learn how to hit harder,” Strickland told MMA Junkie and other media at the UFC on ESPN 28 post-fight news conference. “I kind of hit like a pansy. I kind of sucked. They’re like, ‘You know you won the middleweight striking record.’ I’m like, ‘What does that mean? That means I can’t hit that hard.'”
Strickland’s victory over Hall elevates his status as a contender at 185 pounds. He’s never lost a fight in 17 divisional appearances dating back to his MMA debut, but he’s not getting particularly caught up in the moment.
The win is likely to land Strickland a place in the top 10 of the rankings, but he said it doesn’t mean a whole lot to him to be considered top tier in his weight class.
“It is what it is,” Strickland said. “I’ve been training for so long. There’s always going to be another killer. It is what it is. I’ll fight somebody again in the next few months. I might win. I might get knocked out. I just like making money.”
Because of Strickland’s mentality, he said he has no preferred next opponent. He admits he’s not particularly familiar with his fellow athletes, so he’s going to be willing to take whatever the UFC gives him.
“I know like two fighters in the division,” Strickland said. “Brad Tavares because we train together and Israel Adesanya. I don’t really watch fights. I just like to do it.”
