Cormier is impressed with the version of Sean
Strickland that showed up at
UFC Houston on Saturday.
Strickland was a massive underdog going into his middleweight
headliner against Anthony
Hernandez at UFC Houston on Saturday. However, Strickland
displayed his signature defensive striking masterclass from the
opening bell, never letting “Fluffy” find his rhythm. Strickland
folded Hernandez with a knee to the midsection in the third round
and followed up with a barrage of punches, forcing the referee to
step in and stop the fight.
Cormier believes that the version of Strickland that defeated
Hernandez could also pose a serious threat to the champion Khamzat
Chimaev. “DC” recalls that a similar version of Strickland had
shocked the world by dethroning Israel
Adesanya to win the middleweight title in 2023. Strickland lost
his title to Dricus Du
Plessis in his first defense and failed to reclaim it in their
rematch. However, Cormier believes Strickland wasn’t completely
locked in against Du Plessis.
A Formidable Test
“If that guy that showed up tonight shows up in that [Khamzat]
fight, it would be a much more difficult fight for the great
Khamzat
Chimaev,” Cormier said on YouTube. “Because even Israel
Adesanya, at the peak of his power, struggled with that version
of Sean
Strickland. In the Dricus Du
Plessis fight, it didn’t seem like Sean was locked all the way
in; he seemed a little messed up.”
While Strickland (30-7) and Chimaev (15-0) have trained together in
the past, they are now trading barbs. Chimaev claims Strickland is
hostile towards him after getting choked out in training.
Meanwhile, Strickland brushes it off as a positional sparring
incident and claims to have made Chimaev quit training.
Daniel
Cormier believes Khamzat
Chimaev would struggle against the version of Sean
Strickland that fought Anthony
Hernandez.“If that guy that showed up tonight shows up in that [Khamzat]
fight, it would be a much more difficult fight for the great
Khamzat
Chimaev, because even… pic.twitter.com/cfQLrWRKeX— Red Corner MMA (@RedCorner_MMA)
February 22, 2026