Uriah Hall wanted to fight a Top 5 opponent.
That’s why Sean Strickland may represent something of a step back for “Prime Time,” who meets the middleweight “Tarzan” in the UFC Vegas 33 main event this Sat. night (July 31, 2021) inside APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Hall is ranked three spots above Strickland at No. 8.
“I’ve been trying to get a crack at the top five, but there’s politics in the sport,” Hall told MMA Junkie. “It is what it is, but I show up. I think most of the people were booked, and he might have been the only one that’s left. I mean, on paper, it didn’t really make sense because he’s ranked behind me. But this business, man, you know, it’s business.”
Hall, 37, is the winner of four straight for the first time in his UFC career, which got started as part of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 17 back in April 2013. “Prime Time” is coming off a first-round technical knockout win over Chris Weidman, who broke his leg just 17 seconds into their fight.
Defeating Strickland may get Hall one step closer to reigning 185-pound champion Israel Adesanya.
“I am looking forward to the champ,” Hall continued. “I got nothing bad to say. I’m not here to start any BS. But I’m excited because, you know, he came onto the platform and he has an exciting style. I think my style is perfectly matched up for his. But, you know, you got to play the game. There’s a few dudes ahead of me, so I’ve got to take them out and get to him.”
Adesanya (21-1) is coming off a unanimous decision victory over Marvin Vettori and as of this writing, remains unbooked — though ex-champ Robert Whittaker and top contender Jared Cannonier are lurking just around the corner.
To see who else is fighting at UFC Vegas 33 click here.