Saturday’s UFC Fight Night marked the final card of the year, and there were plenty of highlights. JustinBarrasso breaks down the main card with his top three takeaways
After going a full 25 minutes in the cage against Sean Strickland at UFC Fight Night, Cannonier won the bout by split decision. That victory puts him at the top of title contenders, right beside Robert Whittaker, to challenge Alex Pereira or Israel Adesanya for the middleweight championship.
Cannonier corrected his most glaring mistakes from his loss this past summer to Israel Adesanya. Instead of waiting, which he did far too often against Adesanya, Cannonier pressured a pressure fighter in this bout. His leg kicks were the constant answer to Strickland’s jab. Both landed heavy right hands, and this was certainly close, but Cannonier pushed the action in three of the five rounds.
An unrelenting wrestling approach was critical to Tsarukyan’s success in this bout. Only 26, Tsarukyan is only a win or two away from the title. Currently ninth in the lightweight division, he should jump up a spot with this win against an extremely dangerous opponent in Ismagulov . The next goal for Tsarukyan is an opponent in the top-five. Three years ago, he went the distance against Islam Makhachev. After taking the loss that night, he is now fighting with every fiber to earn that rematch.Drew Dober got the finish against Bobby Green, his eighth knockout victory in the Octagon. That ties Dustin Poirier for most knockouts in UFC lightweight history, and Dober ends the year undefeated, winning all three of his fights in 2022.
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UFC Vegas 66: Jared Cannonier beats Sean Strickland by split decision in narrow winFor 25 minutes in the final UFC fight of 2022 between Jared Cannonier and Sean Strickland at Apex in Las Vegas, there was this sense of impending doom. It seemed that either Cannonier or Strickland would at any second land a fight-changing punch and score the crucial victory.It never came, as the two battled on almost even terms throughout. According to UFCStats, Strickland outlanded Cannonier in significant strikes, 152-141. Strickland had a huge edge in strikes to the head, 126-57, but Cannonier had a 60-24 edge in body shots and a 24-2 edge in kicks to the leg.The fight was close enough that either fighter could have won.When the result was announced, it was Cannonier by split decision. Derek Cleary and Junichiro Kamijo each had it 49-46 for Cannonier. However, Sal D'Amato had it 49-46 for Strickland. Yahoo Sports had it 48-47 for Cannonier.
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