Fight Night kicks off Saturday night at UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. The main event features an interesting meeting of the top 10 ranked middleweights, as Jack Hermansson competes against Shaun Strickland. It will be a unique match of its kind as the winner will benefit from the title shot in the top-heavy division, while the loser will have a long way to go. Strickland has added five points to its five-fight winning streak, while Harmansson will try to regain momentum after a 2-2 stretch in his last four matches.
In the co-host event, Punahele Soriano will face Nick Maximov in the middleweight bout.
UFC Fight Night: Hermansson vs. Strickland Preview
Strickland (24-3) is a non-stop wrestler who comes to his opponent from the opening bell and does not stop until the last bell rings or he finishes the fight. The 30-year-old North Carolina native has won four straight bouts since returning from a two-year hiatus caused by a serious motorcycle accident.
It has continued to perform well against top-level competition, and its last performance saw it win a one-sided decision against former perennial contestant Urea Hall last July.
Still, Strickland is ready for a tough stylistic match-up against Harmansson (22-6), a dangerous submission specialist who can end a fight with any technique if his opponent makes a mistake and Provided opening.
The 33-year-old Swedish fighter was climbing the ranks before facing some of the division's heaviest strikers. He lost by a unanimous decision to current title contender Marvin Vettori in December 2020, but returned last May with a decisive victory over the heavy-handed Edmen Shahbazyan.
The participating main event will be in the middleweight division. There will be a contest between Punahele Soriano and Nick Maximov, and they are trying to strengthen their position. Soriano suffered defeat for the first time in his career when he made his way to Octagon for the last time, and when he faces Nick Maximov, a trainee at Nick Diaz Academy, he wants to get back on his winning path. Maximov scored an impressive victory in his UFC debut and will try to upset Soriano in his sophomore appearance.
Also undefeated Kazakhstani phenom Shavkat Rakhmonov is presenting his third UFC as he competes against Carlston Harris. Harris is also 2-0 inside the UFC, finishing one submission and one TKO in his first two bouts with promotion. When you combine it with Rakhmonov's 14 finishes in 14 professional bouts, the battle is written from top to bottom.
Here you can see the complete matches of UFC Fight Night 200.
Main Card:
Jack Hermansson vs. Sean Strickland
Punahele Soriano vs. Nick Maximov
Shavkat Rakhmanov vs. Carlston Harris
Tresean Gore vs. Bryan Battle
Julian Erosa vs. Steven Peterson
Preliminary card:
Miles Johns vs. John Castañeda
Hakeem Dawodu vs. Michael Trizano
Chidi Njokuani vs. Marc-André Barriault
Jason Witt vs. Phillip Rowe
Alexis Davis vs. Julija Stoliarenko
Jailton Almeida vs. Danilo Marques
Malcolm Gordon vs. Denys Bondar