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The UFC is reportedly looking to finalize a middleweight bout between Sean Strickland and Alex Pereira. The pivotal matchup between ‘Tarzan’ and ‘Poatan’ is being targeted for the UFC 277 event that’s expected to take place on July 30.
According to ESPN MMA’s Brett Okamoto, the fight between Strickland and Pereira has been agreed to verbally. As of this time, the location of UFC 277 hasn’t yet been revealed. Okamoto's post read:
"Super interesting matchup in the works for UFC 277 on July 30 ... Sean Strickland vs. Alex Pereira is verbally agreed to, per sources. Has the look of an all action fight on the feet. No official location for this card yet."
Sean Strickland is a longtime UFC competitor who has recently risen to prominence after returning to the middleweight division. ‘Tarzan’ is currently on a six-fight win streak and is regarded as one of the top-tier middleweights in the sport of mixed martial arts today.
Presently, Strickland holds the No. 4 spot in the official UFC middleweight rankings. His most recent fight witnessed him defeat Jack Hermansson via split decision at UFC Fight Night: Hermansson vs. Strickland last month.
Meanwhile, Alex Pereira is a highly-accomplished kickboxer who shifted his focus towards becoming a full-time MMA fighter last year. A former GLORY middleweight and light heavyweight champion in the sport of kickboxing, ‘Poatan’ made his UFC debut last November.
Pereira has amassed a 2-0 record in the UFC. His most recent octagon appearance saw him beat Bruno Silva via unanimous decision at UFC Fight Night: Santos vs. Ankalaev earlier this month.
Chael Sonnen on a potential Sean Strickland vs. Luke Rockhold fight
Sean Strickland appeared to be all set to compete in one of his most high-profile fights at UFC 268 last November. ‘Tarzan’ was booked to take on former UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold at the event. However, the fight fell apart as Rockhold withdrew due to injury issues.
Rockhold later shifted his focus towards a fight against Paulo Costa, putting the Strickland matchup on the backburner. MMA legend Chael Sonnen addressed this and highlighted how the Rockhold-Strickland matchup could’ve benefitted both fighters.
In an edition of Beyond the Fight last month, Sonnen explained that a possible Rockhold-Strickland fight winner would’ve likely been catapulted into a UFC middleweight title matchup next. Sonnen stated:
"Luke Rockhold was supposed to be fighting at Madison Square Garden opposite Sean Strickland. That was a big fight. That was the fight that makes one of them a number-one contender. And whether they officially get the nod or not. There's two or three fights in the division at all times. That would be one of them."
Be that as it may, the fact remains that Rockhold’s next opponent is yet to be officially announced.
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