UFC News & FeaturesSean Strickland Cruises Past Jack Hermansson in UFC Fight Night 200 Main Event
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It equated to little more than a walk in the park for Sean Strickland.
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The 30-year-old Strickland (25-3, 12-3 UFC) ate a number of leg kicks from the former Cage Warriors Fighting Championship titleholder but otherwise dominated the vast majority of their exchanges. He slipped out of range with surprising ease, cut off Hermansson’s bids for takedowns and piled up points with one of the best jabs in the sport.
Moving ever closer to title contention at 185 pounds, Strickland
has pieced together a six-fight winning streak.
SWINGING IN THE MIDDLE TO END IT ON ESPN+!!!! #UFCVegas47 pic.twitter.com/No6FtPYFDQ
— UFC (@ufc) February 6, 2022
Maximov Swamps Soriano, Moves to 8-0
Nick Maximov rode repeated takedowns, suffocating control and effective ground-and-pound to a split decision over Xtreme Couture’s Punahele Soriano in the three-round middleweight co-main event. Judges Douglas Crosby and Ron McCarthy scored it 30-27 and 29-28 for Maximov, while Michael Bell saw it 29-28 for Soriano.
Soriano (8-2, 2-2 UFC) opened a cut near the bridge of the Californian’s nose in the first round but had little luck keeping the Nick Diaz-trained grappler at arm’s reach. Maximov (8-0, 2-0 UFC) was merciless with his approach. He grounded Soriano over and over again in the second and third rounds, mixing in punches when opportunities presented themselves. Those efforts took a noticeable toll on the frustrated Hawaiian and allowed Maximov to leave the cage with his hand raised yet again.
The 29-year-old Soriano has lost back-to-back bouts.
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Undefeated Rakhmonov Melts Harris
Onetime M-1 Global champion Shavkat Rakhmonov kept his perfect professional record intact and did so in spectacular fashion, as he wiped out Carlston Harris with a spinning hook kick and follow-up punches in the first round of their welterweight feature. Harris (17-5, 2-1 UFC) checked out 4:10 into Round 1.
Rakhmonov (15-0, 3-0 UFC) scored early with a spinning back kick to the body, a searing right cross and a magnificent judo throw, but those were only the appetizers. After the two men jockeyed for position in the clinch, they separated—to Harris’ detriment. Rakhmonov wrapped his heel around his counterpart’s defenses, the impact of the blow sending the Renovacao Fight Team representative tumbling to the canvas. The “Nomad” followed with punches, a pair of standing-to-ground right hands separating Harris from his senses.
The defeat closed the book on Harris’ five-fight winning streak.
Allen Choke Submits Alvey
Former Legacy Fighting Alliance champion Brendan Allen submitted Sam Alvey with a no-hooks rear-naked choke in the second round of their light heavyweight attraction. A short-notice substitution for Phil Hawes, Allen (18-5, 6-2 UFC) drew the curtain 2:10 into Round 2.
Alvey (33-17-1, 10-12-1 UFC) walked the Sanford MMA standout into his punches for much of the first round and even mixed in a standing elbow during a close-range exchange. However, Allen decked him with a clubbing right hand near the end of the period and seized the reins from there. He forced Alvey to the fence in the middle stanza, dropped him with a left hook and maneuvered onto his back. Almost instantly, the choke was in place and Allen’s squeeze was too much for the Team Quest product to bear.
The 35-year-old Alvey remains winless in eight appearances since June 1, 2018.
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Battle Quiets Unbeaten Gore
High output, a stout chin and unwavering determination carried “The Ultimate Fighter 29” winner Bryan Battle to a unanimous decision over the previously unbeaten Tresean Gore in a three-round middleweight showcase. Battle (7-1, 2-0 UFC) swept the scorecards with 29-28 marks across the board.
In his first assignment since Oct. 3, 2020, Gore (3-1, 0-1 UFC) spun his wheels at the start and never made it to full stride. Battle kept him off-balance with a persistent jab, accurate punching combinations and a steady diet of kicks to the body. Gore buckled him twice with left hooks in the second round and spent the waning seconds in top position after pursuing a guillotine choke, but he failed to capitalize on his newfound momentum. Battle fought through the adversity—and significant damage to his right eye—in Round 3, where he shifted his attacks between punch-kick combinations, attempted takedowns and strategic clinches.
Battle, 27, has won six fights in a row.
Erosa Outlasts Peterson in Firefight
“The Ultimate Fighter” Season 22 semifinalist Julian Erosa won for the fifth time in six appearances, as he eked out a split decision over former Legacy Fighting Championship titleholder Steven Peterson in a three-round featherweight firefight. All three cageside judges struck 29-28 scorecards: Derek Cleary for Peterson, Douglas Crosby and Junichiro Kamijo for Erosa.
Neither man showed much concern for his physical well-being. Erosa (27-9, 5-5 UFC) set the tone in the first round, where he forced the Fortis MMA rep onto his back foot and paired pressure with power punches. Peterson rebounded in a wild middle stanza, as he dazed the Xtreme Couture export with repeated overhand rights and withstood a knockdown after being blindsided by a spinning backfist. The blood—virtually all of it from Peterson’s nose and mouth—and competitive juices flowed in Round 3. There, they traded heavy punches upstairs in a bid to do bodily harm to one another. Erosa provided the change of pace with two takedowns and managed to free himself from a pair of guillotine chokes.
The loss snapped a two-fight winning streak for Peterson (19-10, 3-4 UFC), who missed weight for the match by three pounds.
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