Sean Strickland looked sharp again Saturday as he picked apart the always game Krzysztof Jotko en route to victory at UFC on ESPN 23.
Strickland (23-3 MMA, 10-3 UFC) extended his winning streak to four consecutive fights, with three coming after a career-threatening motorcycle accident, as he worked over Jotko (22-5 MMA, 9-5 UFC) on the feet for a unanimous decision win by scores of 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28.
The middleweight bout was part of the UFC on ESPN 23 main card at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. It aired on ESPN2 and streamed on ESPN+.
Strickland started the fight strong, displaying sharp striking. He snapped Jotko’s head back on multiple occasions with his jab and a variety of shots that came behind them. Jotko was kept on his back foot for the majority of the round, and had a tough time landing effective shots as he tried to solve Strickland’s rhythm.
Clearly sensing the opening round didn’t go his way, Jotko pulled it together early in Round 2. He found a better beat on Strickland’s timing, and landed a few solid left hands to get back some respect. Strickland displayed a solid chin in taking everything, though, and continued to march forward and land his own combinations, blooding the nose of his opponent.
With Strickland in cruise control going into the final round, he stayed composed and focused on sticking to the game plan. Jotko was unable to disrupt to pace of Strickland, who added more damage to his total with the jab and some nice kicks to the legs and body. Jotko was unable to stage a late rally, and Strickland continued his momentum to the final bell.
“The way he fights, it’s so hard to connect,” Strickland said in his post-fight interview. “I’m not necessarily a guy who comes forward. I like to be in a phone booth. The way he likes to fight, it’s just really hard to land on him. I just love being a UFC fighter. Every day I wake up, I’m grateful. … I don’t care who it is (next). As long as I’m in the octagon, I’m happy.”
Up-to-the-minute UFC on ESPN 23 results include:
- Sean Strickland def. Krzysztof Jotko via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
- Merab Dvalishvili def. Cody Stamann via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
- Luana Pinheiro def. Randa Markos via disqualification (illegal kick) – Round 1, 4:16
- TJ Brown def. Kai Kamaka via split decision (27-30, 29-28, 29-28)
- Luana Carolina def. Poliana Botelho via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- Loma Lookboonmee def. Sam Hughes via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Andreas Michailidis def. KB Bhullar via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
- Felipe Colares def. Luke Sanders via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
