An interesting Fight Night to end 2022

When it comes to the question of my favourite sports, MMA (specifically the UFC) is by far my number one. Now don’t get me wrong, I live in oil country. The energy that a hockey game produces, specifically the Oilers, is incredible and super fun. However, there’s something special about watching two UFC athletes go toe-to-toe, willing to do everything in their power to overcome their opponent in the octagon and come out with a win. I hope to one day witness such event in-person, as the UFC are known for an incredible live show.

Closing out UFC’s incredible 2022 is this weekend’s Fight Night: Cannonier vs. Strickland. Let’s take a look at my two favourite fights on the card.

Drew Dober vs. Bobby Green

These two fighters are consistently just outside of the top 15 in the hardest division in the sport, the lightweight (155lb) division. Make no mistake, just because there isn’t a number next to their name doesn’t mean that these guys aren’t incredible fighters. Both these guys have fought their way up the rankings to be where they are now, with both fighting large names along the way. Dober is on a two-fight win streak right now, with his most recent being a very impressive win over fellow lightweight Rafael Alves via punches to the body, a much more rare and difficult way to win a fight. Green is coming off a loss to current lightweight champion, Islam Makachev, a fight that he took on short notice. It’s worth noting however, that Dober has fought Makachev in the past, also losing to the current champ.

To summarize, I think this is going to be a back and forth ordeal but a very entertaining one. I see Dober coming out on top.

The main event: Jared Cannonier vs. Sean Strickland

The very last fight of 2022 is a super interesting matchup. Both are coming off losses, Cannonier to the former middleweight (185lb) champ, Israel Adesanya, and Strickland to current middleweight champion, Alex Pereira (it’s worth noting here that Cannonier’s loss to Adesanya was when Adesanya was the champion, and Strickland’s loss to Pereira was when Pereira wasn’t the champion.) Sean Strickland is an extremely skilled reactive fighter. He’s incredible at counter-punching, moving his head away from his opponent’s strikes and is also very patient. Cannonier is also patient and tends to start his fights slower, reading his opponents and how they move before he starts to put on the pressure. Size-wise, Cannonier has an obvious advantage. He is one of the few fighters to have fought in three different divisions, beginning in heavyweight (205lb minimum,) light-heavyweight (205lb maximum,) and now middleweight. Strickland moved up to middleweight from welterweight (170lb max) and found much more success.

To summarize, I think due to the fact that Cannonier tends to retain his power throughout longer fights, this fight being 5 rounds favours him for sure. I see Strickland’s only chance at winning to be finishing Cannonier early. However, I don’t think Cannonier will let that happen. I see Cannonier coming out on top.

There are many interesting matchups happening this weekend that deserve a watch. Regardless, I believe that this card is a solid way to close out this year. 2023 is going to be a crazy year for the UFC and I’m looking forward to it.

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