Uriah Hall faces another tough challenge, as he will share the octagon with Sean Strickland at UFC 265.
ESPN’s Brett Okamoto has reported that sources have confirmed the match between Hall (#8) and Strickland (#12) is close to finalized. The matchup is only the fourth fight currently confirmed for the card in which Amanda Nunes vs. Juliana Peña will likely serve as the main event.
Hall (17-9-0) is coming off a win over Chris Wiedman in a fight that saw Wiedman break his leg in the same way Silva had broken his years past. Hall made it clear that he wanted to get back into the octagon as soon as possible, though he was shaken up after the victory. The elite striker is riding a four-fight win streak with wins over Weidman and a TKO of Anderson Silva after multiple fight cancellations against Yoel Romero and Jacaré Souza. Working his way to a title shot, Hall has been vocal that the current middleweight king, Israel Adesanya, is avoiding him and others.
Strickland (23-3-0) also comes into the fight on a four-fight win streak. He recently defeated Krzysztof Jotko. With notable victories over Nordine Taleb and Brendan Allen, Strickland is no stranger to facing elite strikers. This fight allows him the opportunity to meet his first top ten opponent in the octagon since 2017. Strickland will likely try to capitalize on the opportunity, increasing his standing in the rankings.
Many of the details for UFC 265 are still in the air. The promotion has yet to name a venue and location for the event. The UFC is also yet to call the official main event and co-main event for the event. Still, the addition of this matchup in the middleweight division is sure to add some fireworks to the event.
Do you think Uriah Hall will defeat Sean Strickland at UFC 265?