Sean Strickland wants a rematch against Alex Pereira.
The UFC middleweight contender had a six-fight win streak snapped by Pereira, who added Strickland to his resume with a first-round KO at UFC 276 this past July. In the aftermath, ‘Tarzan’ was criticized for using a ‘stand-and-trade’ strategy for a former two-division GLORY kickboxing champion.
Despite the disastrous result, Strickland told Mike Bohn of MMA Junkie recently that he would use the exact same strategy against Pereira, should he get a rematch at some point.
“He’s a f—king big motherf—king Brazilian who hits like f—king dynamite,” said Strickland. “I mean, f—k. I’ll give you guys a pointer: You stand in front of that motherf—ker and bang, somebody is going to sleep and it’s most likely going to be you.
“And if I fought the guy again, I’d do the same f—king thing,” continued Strickland. “I’d put this (right) hand a little bit more right here (up).”
Before he can get a rematch against the newly crowned UFC middleweight champion, Strickland has a chance to return to the win column at the final UFC event of 2022. The Syndicate MMA product shares the Octagon with Jared Cannonier for his next fight at UFC Vegas 66.
With a few more wins, Strickland could earn his first UFC championship opportunity. And if he does, he hopes Pereira is still at the top of the division.
“The guy f—king hits hard, dude,” said Strickland. “That motherf—ker — he has dynamite in his hands, but got to get a couple wins under my belt, and hopefully he’s still the champ and we’ll run it back.”
UFC Vegas 66 goes down on Sat., Dec. 17, at the UFC APEX in Las Vegas. Cannonier vs. Strickland serves as the headliner.
