Sean Strickland (left) throws a punch at Uriah Hall (right) in the main event of UFC Vegas 33. Strickland won the fight by unanimous decision.
Sean Strickland dominates Uriah Hall in 5 round shutout
The Ultimate Fighting Championship returns to Las Vegas, Nevada tonight, July 31, 2021, as UFC Vegas 33 goes underway live on ESPN & ESPN+.
Headlining the card is a match-up of ranked middleweights, as Uriah Hall takes on Sean Strickland in the five-round main event of the evening. Both men come into this bout on four-fight win streaks, the first four-fight win streaks of their promotional careers, and both look to make it five-straight inside the octagon for the first time.
Co-headlining the event was scheduled to be a bantamweight bout between Rani Yahya and Kyung Ho Kang, but it was canceled due to Yahya testing positive for Covid-19.
Instead, Cheyanne Buys battled Gloria de Paula in the co-main event, both women of which were in search of their first octagon victories.
Our feature fight of the night came in the welterweight division between Jared Gooden and Niklas Stolze.
Both of these men are also in search of their first promotional victories.
In the main event of the evening, Uriah Hall returns to action 3 months after his bout, tragically sidelining Chris Weidman. Before his bout with Weidman, “Prime Time” took out all-time great, Anderson Silva. Currently, on a hot streak, Hall is riding 4 straight wins with 3 of which being stopped before the allotted time.
Sean Strickland is also riding a 4-fight win streak and is undefeated in the middleweight division. Previously competing in the welterweight division, Strickland suffered a loss to Elizeu Zaleski in 2018 and has gone on a tear ever since.
Continue reading to see how this middleweight bout went down at UFC Vegas 33.
Round 1: Jabs start the contest from Hall. Strickland fires a hard left and right that misses their mark. Hall is feeling Strickland’s range early to gauge his distance. Strickland is pushing the pressure ferociously, early. Strickland starts working behind his jab consistently to set up other openings. Hall is slow to get started but starts to pick up his pace later in the round. As the round persists, Hall starts to wake up and land his own strikes for a brief standoff at the end of the round.
MyMMANews scores round one for Sean Strickland. 10-9
Round 2: Strickland gets back to work quickly, utilizing his jab and pressuring Hall. Hall attempts to string together some strikes of his own, but Strickland’s aggression has Hall on his back foot and struggling to get back into the fight. At the midway point of the second round, Strickland seemed to ease off of the gas to reserve energy. Hall used the time to get back in the fight, throwing more often, however, with nothing significant landing. An accidental low blow to Hall causes a brief halt to the bout. The bout resumes with little time left and little action.
MyMMANews scores round 2 for Sean Strickland. 10-9
Round 3: As soon as the round starts, Hall picks up his movement and strike output from the gate. Both fighters are going tit-for-tat early. Strickland gets Hall to the ground and begins teeing off, looking for the stoppage. Strickland lands hard ground and pound on the floor before Hall stands. Strickland drags Hall to the floor once more, getting the better of Hall. Strickland secures Hall’s back, locking in the body triangle, ending the round with hall in a rear-naked choke.
MyMMANews scores round 3 for Sean Strickland. 10-9
Round 4: Strickland gets behind his jab again, finding success. Strickland is making Hall miss with Strickland’s reach and timing being the difference in this bout. Strickland is beating Hall to the punch time and time again, landing hard. Strickland wobbles Hall and switches levels for the takedown. Strickland allows Hall to get back k to his feet while sizing up his next attempt for the knockout before the round closes.
MyMMANews scores round 4 for Sean Strickland. 10-9
Round 5: Knowing he’s down on the scorecards, Hall is pressuring forward-looking to gain traction, but Strickland’s timing is beating Hall to the punch each time. Hall’s face is cut and battered at the halfway point of the final round. Strickland is picking up his pressure, attempting to put the final touches on this amazing effort. Strickland bullies Hall against the fence with peppering shots to a stationary Hall, racking up points. With 30 seconds left, Hall gets off of the cage to get the brunt end of the punishment in the closing seconds of the final round.
MyMMANews scores round 5 for Sean Strickland. 10-9
Official Result: Sean Strickland defeats Uriah Hall via unanimous decision.
(50-44) (50-45) (49-46)
