Sean Strickland Goes Bully Mode For A Huge Comeback TKO

After taking a finger directly to the eyeball in the first 30 seconds of tonight's UFC main event, Sean Strickland didn't fight the best first round against Dagestan's Abus Magomedov. Strickland admitted in his post-fight interview that he was still seeing double, and looking back - that makes sense. He didn't look horrible in the first, but he just didn't fight like Sean Strickland typically fights. He absorbed way more shots than he threw, didn't take a ton of chances, and didn't land anything with truly reckless intent. 

By the end of the first, though, Abus was breathing pretty heavily out of his mouth, and I started to wonder if he'd gone for broke in that round. He basically looked like this after five minutes of punching Strickland and not knocking him out....

As soon as the second round started - it was pretty clear that he had, in fact, gone for broke in the first. Strickland was told to work up the volume in-between rounds, and he did just that immediately (capitalizing on Magomedov's empty gas tank). From here on, it was just Sean Strickland target practice until Abus was dropped….and even then, he still had to eat a few more shots.

Strickland cut a very Strickland promo afterwards, where he said that he knows he says some crazy shit sometimes (which is, respectfully, the understatement of the century) but that it's all for this country. Everything he says and does is for this country, and he'd die for this country. And also kill for this country. And also he wants to bring back morals in this country. This was almost like the UFC version of John Cena cutting a Fourth of July promo at Tribute to the Troops, I guess.

Then he met Mel Gibson….

Great way to kick off the holiday weekend. Enjoy the 4th everyone.