Jared Cannonier vs. Sean Strickland targeted to headline Fight Night card in October

Jared Cannonier will be looking to get back into the win column following his title fight loss.

According to MMA reporter Ariel Helwani, Jared Cannonier will take on Sean Strickland in the main event of a Fight Night card on October 15. The event is expected to take place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Jared Cannonier x Sean Strickland is the plan for the Oct. 15 show, sources say. Main event. Likely Apex. Not signed but that’s the target.

— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) August 11, 2022

“Jared Cannonier x Sean Strickland is the plan for the Oct. 15 show, sources say. Main event. Likely Apex. Not signed but that’s the target.”

Cannonier vs. Strickland does make sense on paper as both men are in the top-10 and coming off losses. They both are likely two wins away from fighting for the belt, but both remain big names and are known strikers which should make the fight an exciting one.

Jared Cannonier (15-6) is coming off a decision loss to Israel Adesanya at UFC 276 for the middleweight belt. To earn the title shot, he scored a KO win over Derek Brunson and a decision win over Kelvin Gastelum.

Cannonier is currently ranked second at middleweight and since dropping down to 185lbs he is 5-2 with his other loss coming to Robert Whittaker. In his career, he also holds notable wins over Anderson Silva, Jack Hermansson, David Branch, and Ion Cutelaba among others, while he has headlined three cards.

Sean Strickland (25-4) suffered a first-round KO loss to Alex Pereira at UFC 276 in a title eliminator bout. Before the setback, he was on a six-fight win streak with wins over Hermansson, Uriah Hall, Krzysztof Jotko, Brendan Allen, Jack Marshman, and Nordine Taleb.

Strickland is ranked seventh at middleweight and used to compete at welterweight before a motorcycle accident caused him to move up to 185lbs. In his career, he holds notable wins over Tom Breese, and Court McGee while he also fought Kamaru Usman back in 2017.

Who do you think will win, Jared Cannonier or Sean Strickland?