Sean Strickland receives advice from former rival ahead of UFC 328

Sean Strickland has received some advice from former rival Alex Pereira ahead of UFC 328 this weekend.

On Saturday night, Sean Strickland will attempt to become a two-time UFC middleweight champion when he squares off with the great Khamzat Chimaev. While many are favoring Khamzat to walk away with the gold, Sean has been able to pull off big upsets before, most notably when he took the world title away from Israel Adesanya a few years back.

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It’s safe to say that the rivalry between Strickland and Chimaev has gotten pretty intense in recent times. Of course, Sean has had some interesting rivalries before this, perhaps most notably when he was knocked out cold by Alex Pereira after opting to stand and trade with the kickboxing great.

In a recent interview, Pereira gave his thoughts on what Strickland needs to do in order to get past Chimaev, a man who wanted to face him at 205 pounds not so long ago.

Pereira’s advice for Strickland

“Before our fight, I saw him differently,” Pereira said of Strickland on UFC Countdown. “But once he stepped into the octagon, you could see it on his face. He was a different guy. He’s a warrior. The first time we trained together was after our fight, I learned a lot from those sessions. He’s got a lot of experience. He knows his craft.

“He’s always moving forward, firing that jab. That’s a great weapon he has. Everyone knows I’m rooting for Sean Strickland. He’s got to stay composed, keep pressing forward, stay alert, watch out for the takedowns, and use his jab and front kick. I’m really excited and motivated for this fight, and I hope he gets the win.”

Quotes via MMA Junkie

Do you agree with the assessment made by Alex Pereira? Let us know your thoughts on this in the comments below, BJPENN Nation!