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Sean Strickland has taken a dig at Junior dos Santos in the aftermath of 'Cigano's shoulder injury loss at Eagle FC 47. Posting a picture of the former UFC heavyweight champion, Strickland compared him to the iconic Star Trek character, Quark.
Junior dos Santos faced fellow former UFC heavyweight Yorgen De Castro in the main event of an Eagle FC card at the FLXcast Arena in Miami, Florida. Looking to end a four-fight skid, the showing was good from 'Cigano' before the fight was met with an anti-climactic ending.
Both veterans went toe-to-toe until dos Santos dislocated his shoulder less than a minute into the third round. The former UFC heavyweight champion looked visibly dejected as he was unable to continue despite his best efforts to pop it back in place.
Had dos Santos won the fight, he was likely set to fight Fedor Emelianenko in a cross-promotion mega-fight that was already in talks. Eagle FC head honcho Khabib Nurmagomedov and Bellator CEO Scott Coker, who were scheduled to meet this week, will both be dejected with the Brazilian's unfortunate loss.
'Cigano' later took to Instagram to provide an update. The 38-year-old was happy with his performance before the freak injury that brought the fight to an abrupt end. He said in an Instagram video:
"I already talked to my doctor, we’re gonna do some exams and figure out what’s gonna be the procedures to get this thing better as soon as possible. But before going to battle I’d like to share with you guys that I was feeling so happy. I was feeling very good during the fight, like I haven’t felt in a long, long time."
Sean Strickland expects a title shot with a victory in his next outing
Sean Strickland, who currently occupies the No.5 spot in the 185-pound rankings, is scheduled to fight standout kickboxer Alex Pereira at UFC 276 in July. Currently riding an impressive six-fight win streak, Strickland expects a shot at middleweight gold if he emerges victorious against 'Poatan'.
While he's still below Robert Whittaker and Marvin Vettori in the rankings, Strickland believes he should be next in line for a title shot as 'The Reaper' and 'The Italian Dream' have already both made failed bids against the reigning champion, Israel Adesanya.
No.1-ranked Whittaker and No.3-ranked Vettori are reportedly slated to lock horns at UFC Paris later this year, but Strickland believes a win over Pereira puts him in a strong position with regards to the middleweight title picture. In an interview with Helen Yee, he said:
“Whittaker and Marvin – and again, I love Marvin, he’s a savage – but Whittaker and Marvin, they had their shot. The winner of me and Alex should get the title [shot], absolutely. I think everybody wants that.”
Watch Sean Strickland's interview with Helen Yee below:
