Sean Strickland defied all odds and knocked out Anthony Hernandez proving that, despite how he talks and fights, he's still a top tier middleweight.

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Chapters:

0:00 Why Sean Strickland beat Anthony Hernandez

5:45 Sean Strickland is so frustrating to fight

8:22 Sean Strickland vs Khamzat Chimaev

The plan was simple: If Sean Strickland can get the jab going early, he can slow down the snowball effect-style that Anthony Hernandez uses. That's exactly what happened. Fluffy had no way of getting inside and getting to a clinch. And when he did, he lacked the ability to finish the takedown there. Sean Strickland used this to his advantage and kept doing what he always does.

It's that jab and the teep that make Sean Strickland so frustrating to fight. He's had success against great fighters, like Israel Adesanya, but also laid some stinkers (Alex Pereira, Kamaru Usman). Strickland's frustrating style has carried him far and brought him the title. This is why he's been successful. He knows what he does and sticks to it. There's no getting too fancy. There's hardly any deviation. Just discipline to what got him to the dance.

That brings us to the big question: Khamzat Chimaev. Chimaev looks indomitable. Invincible even. Does Sean Strickland really have what it takes to dethrone the Chechen champion? We don't personally think so. Then again, we thought Anthony Hernandez and Israel Adesanya would beat him too and look how that turned out. There's no real point in saying "Strickland loses to Chimaev, don't even book the fight." We have to lock them in the cage and find out for ourselves.