Morning Report: Sean Strickland wants rematch with Alex Pereira: ‘If I fight the guy again, I’d do the same f****** thing’

Sean Strickland does not regret standing with Alex Pereira.

At UFC 276, Strickland faced Pereira in what was a de facto title eliminator and things did not go well for him. In a move that baffled many fans, Strickland opted to walk Pereira down and engage in a striking battle with the two-weight Glory world champion kickboxer, to predictable results: Pereira brutally knocked Strickland out in the first round. But despite the outcome, Strickland doesn’t regret his game plan, saying he hopes to fight his way back to a rematch with Pereira, where he intends to do it again.

“The guy f****** hits hard, dude,” Strickland told MMA Junkie. “That motherf*****, he has dynamite in his hands but got to get a couple wins under my belt, and hopefully he’s still the champ and we’ll run it back.

“He’s a f****** big motherf****** Brazilian who hits like dynamite. F***. I’ll give you guys a pointer: You stand in front of that motherf***** and bang, somebody is going to sleep and it’s most likely going to be you. If I fight the guy again, I’d do the same f****** thing. Just put this (right) hand a little more (up).”

Prior to the loss, Strickland was on an impressive six-fight winning streak in the division, earning his way up to the No. 4 spot in the UFC’s rankings. Following his defeat, Strickland dropped to No. 7 and with Pereira as the new champion, “Tarzan” acknowledges that he’s “a few” wins away from earning a rematch. First up on that road back to Pereira is Jared Cannonier, who Strickland faces in the main event of UFC Vegas 66 next Saturday. Like Pereira, Cannonier is an imposing and powerful striker, with four Performance of the Night bonuses for his knockouts, and Strickland could not be more excited to get back in the cage with another guy looking to separate him from his consciousness.

“How would you guys feel with that big, scary mothrf***** looking back at you trying to kill you?” Strickland said. “It’s exciting. I can’t wait.”

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