Jared Cannonier and Sean Strickland are back in action!
The number 2 middleweight-ranked Cannonier will look to bounce back into title talks again when he faces number 7 ranked and controversial fighter, Sean Strickland.
The two were originally meant to square off at UFC Fight Night 212 on October 15th but Strickland withdrew from the bout after suffering a nasty infection in his finger. The infection was believed to be due to connecting his sparring partner’s tooth.
Rather than seeking alternate opponents for each fight, the UFC matchmakers have opted to reschedule the matchup for a later date.
Jared Cannonier was last seen in the octagon against current UFC middleweight champion, Isreal Adesanya. Going into the fight the 38-year-old Cannonier had won back-to-back fights against top-ranked opposition. He also flexed a nice 5-1 in his last 6 also.
As we know, Jared was unsuccessful in his bid for gold. But did take the champ to the judges and even scored a round on the judge’s scorecards. Given how impressive and dominant Isreal has been, it’s still quite something.
Strickland too has had title dreams smashed lately. He was riding a 6 fight-winning streak and headlined two back-to-back UFC Fight Night cards. He was ranked at the top echelon before being matched up with new middleweight title challenger Alex Pereira. Pereira would knock Stickland out in the first round, handing him only the second KO loss of his 28-fight career. The momentum of Stickland would be transferred to the Brazilan Pereira, earning him the next shot at Adesanya.
When and where is UFC Fight Night 217?
UFC Fight Night 217 is expected to take place on December 17th, 2022. As it stands it will be the UFC’s last card before 2023. The venue and location of the card are yet to be officially announced by the UFC.
