Sean Strickland took his time to get his sixth-straight win earlier tonight (Sat., Feb. 5, 2022) at UFC Vegas 47 live on ESPN+ from inside UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada, when the streaking middleweight contender outlasted Jack Hermansson with a surprising split-decision win (it should have been unanimous).
Hermansson looked sharp in the early going with whipping calf kicks and some solid level changes. It kept Strickland on his toes, but Strickland eventually started to land his jab and took back some momentum. Hermansson seemed to loosen up a bit with his strikes in the second round, only to have Strickland defend most of the attacks and fire back with his own. Strickland even landed a last-second knockdown in the final moments of the frame.
Hermansson tried to pressure Strickland in the third with combinations over the top, kicks down low, and attacks to the body. However, Strickland’s footwork and evasive movements were truly on full display. He avoided almost every major blow and continued to pepper “Joker” with his jab. It wasn’t the most entertaining offensive plan by Strickland, but he played to his strengths and it was working.
It was much of the same over the final two rounds as Strickland took his time like a surgeon and Hermansson tried to rush inside for wild punches and exchanges. Strickland could have done a little more to try and put “Joker” away, but he won a main event so it’s hard to hate on that.
Check out the full fight video highlights below courtesy of UFC/ESPN:
For complete UFC Vegas 47 results and coverage click here.