In the final event of the 2022 UFC fight schedule, we have a great card with some exciting matchups filling it up. Jared Cannonier (15-6) will meet Sean Strickland (25-4) in the main event of the evening.
This top-10 matchup is very important for the landscape of the middleweight division heading into 2023. Read along for a fight analysis and a Cannonier vs Strickland prediction.
Last Fight Record
Cannonier is coming off his much-anticipated title shot against Adesanya in July. He lost that bout via unanimous decision.
Strickland fought on the same card as Cannonier, going up against the current champion Alex Pereira. He lost via KO in the first round.
Cannonier vs. Strickland Betting Analysis
Jared Cannonier
Coming off a lackluster performance in a title fight, look for Cannonier to step it up in this big fight to keep himself in the top 5 of the middleweight division.
Cannonier has fought across three different weight classes, with knockouts in all three. He has 12 finishes in his 15 career wins.
Cannonier has yet to be finished in the middleweight division. Averaging 11:09 of fight time in the UFC, Cannonier lands 3.73 strikes per minute while absorbing 3.50.
Even with his last fight against Adesanya changing those stats around, those aren’t bad numbers. His 51% strike accuracy is impressive.
The worst part of his game has to be the grappling. Cannonier only averages 0.19 takedowns per 15 minutes at a 25% accuracy. His defensive wrestling is solid, and he has a 65% takedown defense.
Sean Strickland
Many people might say that Strickland’s game plan against the world-class kickboxer in Pereira was not very good, but he will do whatever he feels in the octagon.
Even while being seven years younger than Cannonier, Strickland has eight more fights and a lot more time spent in the octagon.
Strickland averages 5.54 strikes per minute while absorbing 4.01 strikes. This shows that he fights with a lot of volume. Even with his constant pressure and volume, Strickland shows great defense at a 65% clip in striking.
A sneaky part of Strickland’s game is his grappling. He is very good on the ground, but he loves striking. Strickland averages 1.14 takedowns per 15 minutes at an impressive 61% clip. His takedown defense is even better at 81%.
This is a part of his game that could be very useful to pull out over a 25-minute fight against Cannonier.
Updates
No injuries were reported to NSAC.
Jared Cannonier vs. Sean Strickland Betting Preview
Now the next thing to make a proper Cannonier vs Strickland prediction is a betting preview. UFC odds have this bout very close, with some major sportsbooks even putting them both in minus odds.
Cannonier is currently at the -105 underdog. When these lines opened, Cannonier was the -150 favorite over Strickland, who is now the betting favorite at -120. Keep an eye on these lines to get your pick at the best odds before fight night this Saturday.
Strickland has been a betting favorite in 12 of his 17 UFC fights. He lost his last fight via KO with similar odds over Alex Pereira.
Cannonier is now the betting underdog in his second straight UFC fight, which will be his 8th time as an underdog in the UFC. He is used to going up against someone that is supposed to beat him.
Even though Cannonier is 15-6, he is 5-2 in the middleweight division with a lot of power and durability down in that weight class. This will be a tough fight for Strickland to just stand up and strike for 25 minutes.
Jared Cannonier vs. Sean Strickland Betting Prediction
UFC picks are very tough to make, especially with odds this narrow. The unpredictable nature of the sport causes a lot of overthinking and bad bets to happen.
Strickland is coming off a devastating KO, something he has never really experienced, six months ago. We know he trains very hard in camp, sparring pretty much every single day.
There has to be a question about his durability now that he’s been knocked out like that this year.
Cannonier is coming off a performance where he just didn’t look confident. It’s tough to look good against Adesanya, but this has to be a mental hurdle that he needs to get through, a lot like Strickland has to.
Both fighters are at career crossroads, it seems, and this is a massive fight to make going into the 2023 UFC year.
The official Cannonier vs Strickland prediction is going to be Cannonier getting his hand raised at the end of the night. There are too many outcomes that can happen out of this, but Cannonier winning is the best bet.
With these odds and going up against Strickland, who has shown he is not great against powerful counter strikers, everything is pointing to Cannonier.
He has the power to hurt Strickland and has the mental capabilities to not let Strickland’s talking and style get in his head.
Strickland will start shooting for takedowns in the later rounds, but it is going to be too late to get ahead on the scorecards.
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