Mixed martial arts contains different levels of skill and ability. At UFC Fight Night in Las Vegas, Sean Strickland and Abus Magomedov had contrasting experiences. In the opening moments, an unintentional eye poke from Magomedov almost ended the fight. After receiving medical attention, Strickland decided to continue despite his blurred vision. “That was a good eye poke. I’m still seeing double,” Strickland revealed after the fight. “There was a part of me that wanted to quit, but I heard the support from the crowd and knew I had to push through.”
Although Magomedov started the fight strongly, landing punches, kicks, and even a takedown, his high output in the first round drained him of energy by the second round. Strickland took advantage of Magomedov’s tiredness and unleashed a flurry of punches, eventually overwhelming him and forcing the referee to stop the fight in the middle of the second round.
The choice of Strickland and Magomedov as the main event raised some eyebrows. Strickland, ranked No. 7 in the official UFC rankings, faced a relatively unknown opponent with only one prior UFC fight and no presence in the Top 15 rankings. Despite the lack of recognition, Strickland voiced his ambition to challenge for the UFC middleweight title, currently held by Israel Adesanya.
“I want the title,” Strickland declared.
