Sean Strickland dominates Uriah Hall at UFC Vegas 33, fans call it 'the fight to watch'

Sean Strickland scored a unanimous decision victory over Uriah Hall in in a middleweight fight during UFC Vegas 33 main event at Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday, July 31. In his best performance, Strickland demolished Hall, his one-time training buddy, pummeling him with a jab and wounding him at multiple points in the fight.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship action had kicked off on June 26 with Ciryl Gane taking on former heavyweight champion Alexander Volkov in Las Vegas. The UFC Vegas 33 Middleweight category main fight between Sean Strickland and Uriah Hall started at 9 pm ET on Saturday. 

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Hall holds a record of 18-9-0 while Strickland has a record of 23-3-0 in their MMA careers. Uriah Hall, who is currently ranked at #8 among the UFC Middleweight champions, faced 30-year-old Strickland on his 37th birthday. And it proved to be quite the lucky day for 'Striker'.

With scores of 50-44, 50-45, and 49-46, Strickland (24-3 MMA, 11-3 UFC) defeated Hall (17-10 MMA, 10-8 UFC) for a unanimous decision. The victory was Strickland's sixth in a row, and it ended Hall's four-fight winning streak, according to MMA Junkie. “Five rounds are a little fun,” Strickland said to the website after he got his hand raised. “The last round is the funnest. You get so tired, you don’t are about getting hit. He’s a guy that I’ve always respected. He kind of scared me cause I came up watching his highlights. It was an honor to fight Uriah, I appreciate the battle.”

In the third round, Strickland nearly knocked out Hall with an overhand right to the top of the head that left him wobbling. Strickland had him down and was pounding the ground with heavy strikes. He cut Hall little slack, despite the fact that he claimed to be a long-time fan of his and had grown to like him over time.

“He scared me,” Strickland said, according to Yahoo! Sports. “I came up watching his highlights.” He struggled to get down to the welterweight division's 171-pound limit for non-title contests, he told the news outlet before the match. “I didn’t go to fight camp, I went to fat camp,” Strickland said. The birthday boy is also ready for whatever life throws at him next. “I don’t care [who I fight next],” Strickland said to MMA Junkie. “I just want to fight. I want to make money. It gives me purpose. If I wasn’t in the UFC, I’d probably be cooking meth in a trailer in prison.”

'Proud of his humility'

Fans were overjoyed and shared their views of what was definitely a great night. "If it wasn't for the UFC, I'd probably be cooking meth in a trailer or in prison." -Sean Strickland," said one, quoting the MMA star from an interview. "Hearing Sean Strickland say if it wasn’t for UFC he’d be cookin meth in a trailer is a very humbling statement. Proud of his humility and adversity to where he is at now! Keep up the grind. #ufc #seanstrickland," said another. "Unsurprisingly, Strickland vs. Hall is the fight to watch at #UFCVegas33," said another fan. 

'Birthday ball shot'

Pros left their remarks as well. "Uriah still makes the same mistakes from years ago that causes him to loss & never able to make an adjustment. It’s so simple too. Strickland has a nasty side jab, walks forward and throws ! Good fight overall. Well good fight for Strickland #UFCVegas33," said MMA fighter Derek Brunson. "Birthday ball shot. OUCH," said a fan.