UFC Fight Night Jared Cannonier vs. Sean Strickland Betting Preview

UFC Vegas 66 is set for this Saturday, December 12, to close out the 2022 UFC fight schedule. Headlining this card at the UFC APEX will be a Top 10 middleweight matchup between recent title challenger Jared Cannonier (15-6) and Sean Strickland (25-4).

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Fight Analysis

With both fighters potentially being one fight away from a title shot, this is a massive fight for the two UFC veterans. Whoever gets their hand raised at the end of this one will be in a great position heading into 2023, especially with a new champion of the middleweight division.

Cannonier is coming off of a title fight loss to Israel Adesanya in July, where he struggled to get any offense going. He currently is averaging 3.73 strikes landed per minute while absorbing 3.50 in that minute. 

Strickland got knocked out by current champion Alex Pereira in July, learning his lesson not to walk forward and strike with someone of that caliber in kickboxing. Strickland averages an impressive 5.54 strikes landed per minute and absorbs 4.01. 

Out of the two fighters, the grappling advantage is for sure pointing to Strickland. He is a sneaky-good grappler that is solid in jiu-jitsu and can really change a fight with those skills. It will be interesting to see if his ego gets in the way as it did with Pereira or if he realizes he needs to mix in level changes to win this fight. 

The power and durability of Cannonier are one thing, but his mindset and fight IQ put him up as one of the best middleweights in the world. He is another guy in the division that would probably be a champion if Israel Adesanya did not exist. 

Betting Preview And Path To Victory

This is almost a pick ‘em fight, according to the betting line currently. betJACK currently has these fighers with very similar odds. This fight is virtually as close of a matchup as you can get on paper.

The over/under is set at 4.5 rounds, which is an interesting line because both men are such talented strikers. The durability of both might lead to this going to the scorecards. 

If Strickland decides he wants to box Cannonier with four-ounce gloves on, it is going to be a tough night for him. He will come out with a lot of pressure, but Strickland’s boxing skills and trash-talking are not going to be enough to break the rock-solid martial artist that is Jared Cannonier. 

Strickland will need to mix in level changes and keep this as a mixed martial arts bout. Cannonier isn’t as solid on the ground, but he has the tools to be able to get back up to his feet as he showed against Brunson. 

Cannonier will need to look to land leg kicks and keep focus for a full 25 minutes. If you slow down or lose focus on your technique, Strickland is a guy that can turn up the pace and really make it a brutal night for anyone in the octagon. 

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