UFC 276: Sean Strickland vs. Alex Pereira Picks and Predictions

Sean Strickland and Alex Pereira face off on Saturday in a middleweight bout at UFC 276 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Strickland is currently ranked 4th while Pereira is unranked. If Pereira wins this fight though, he might only need a few more wins to get a title shot. 

Sean Strickland comes into this fight with a 25-3 record overall and he has won six fights in a row. Strickland’s last fight came against Jack Hermansson in February of 2022. Strickland outstruck Hermansson 153-137 and that was enough for a split decision victory. Strickland is averaging 5.53 significant strikes per minute while absorbing 3.94 significant strikes per minute. Strickland is averaging 1.16 takedowns every 15 minutes and he is successful on 61 percent of his takedown attempts. He also stops 85 percent of his opponent's takedown attempts. Each of Strickland’s last three fights has made it to the final bell. 

On the other side of this fight is Alex Pereira who sits with a 5-1 record overall and since coming into the UFC he has won two straight fights. Pereira’s last fight came against Bruno Silva in March of 2022 and he was dominant. Pereira outstruck Silva 108-59 and that led to the easy victory. Pereira is averaging 5.86 significant strikes per minute while absorbing 3.05 significant strikes per minute. He wants to keep the fight on the feet and he does a good job of not letting his opponent get to the mat. Pereira stops 73 percent of his opponent's takedown attempts and that is something that will need to be strong in this fight. In his first fight in the UFC, Pereira won in the second round by flying knee.