A middleweight matchup between streaking contenders Uriah Hall and Sean Strickland will now headline UFC’s upcoming Fight Night event on July 31, per ESPN’s Ariel Helwani.
Originally, Hall and Strickland were expected to meet at UFC 265 on Aug. 9. The pairing has been bumped up one week and will now lock horns in a five-round main event. The location of the July 31 fight card is unknown at this time, but likely to take place at the UFC APEX in Las Vegas.
Speaking of UFC 265 on Aug. 7, Uriah Hall vs. Sean Strickland has been moved from that card to the main event of the July 31 fight night card, per sources. Five rounds.
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) June 4, 2021
Hall, 36, was supposed to do battle with former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman at UFC 261 this past April, but a nasty leg injury for Weidman seconds into the fight stopped the two men from really going toe-to-toe (see it HERE). Instead, Hall will now face Strickland in his third UFC main event bid. Before his brief bout with Weidman, “Prime Time” had won his previous three Octagon appearances, including a fourth-round TKO win over the legendary Anderson Silva in Oct. 2020.
Strickland, 30, has been on an absolute tear of late. Since moving back up to 185 pounds last year Strickland has turned in a 3-0 record, including a recent decision win over veteran contender Krzysztof Jotko. The former KOTC middleweight champion has looked incredible since returning to the division and could be a real threat moving forward. Strickland should be able to use his boxing and precision to give Hall issues when they meet this July.
Stick with Mania for updates for the “Hall vs. Strickland” fight card.