Jared Cannonier emerged with his hand raised via split decision against Sean Strickland tonight in the main event of UFC Fight Night 216.
Round One:
The final UFC fight of the year is underway in Las Vegas!
Leg kick for Cannonier. Strickland keeps his head out of reach as Cannonier tries to land. Body kick from Cannonier comes off the arm.
Kick to the thigh for Cannonier. Jab for Strickland. He lands it again. Now a push kick to the body.
Cannonier comes forward with his guard raised and looks to land the right hand. Body punch from Cannonier.
Punch for Cannonier as Strickland was looking for a kick. Cannonier with a punch to the body and then upstairs.
Leg kick for Cannonier, but Strickland catches it and tries for the takedown. He walks Strickland over to the cage and has his back.
A few punches for Strickland. Cannonier turns into him and gets space to go back to striking range.
Nice calf kick for Cannonier. Good right and a left hand behind it for Cannonier. Nice jab for Strickland. He lands it again.
Head kick attempt from Cannonier but nothing doing. He does land an inside leg kick though. One-two from Strickland. Body punch from Cannonier.
Round Two:
Leg kick for Cannonier and now a right hand. Body kick for him and it’s almost caught by Strickland.
Cannonier with a big one-two but doesn’t get through the guard. Double-jab for Strickland. leg kick for Cannonier, but a hard jab in response from Strickland.
Right hand from Cannonier. Solid jab again from Strickland. He lands it again. Leg kick for Cannonier. Punch for Strickland, another leg kick for Cannonier. Cannonier just misses with a power punch.
Back to the leg kick for Cannonier. Cannonier utilizes some head movement and then lands to the body. He lands it again.
One-two from Strickland, but comes off the guard. Jab for Strickland, and again. Cannonier comes up short on a one-two.
Inside leg kick from Cannonier. Hard body kick from Cannonier. Body punch, but doesn’t connect with his right upstairs afterwards.
Strickland throws a couple of punches with more purpose than before. Another solid connection for him. Now a hook on the counter as he backs up.
Cannonier presses forward in the final seconds of the round and does land a solid straight right.
Round Three:
Strickland working behind the jab. Body punch from Cannonier, but Strickland sends him back on his heels with the jab.
Leg kick for Cannonier. Body punch from him. Strickland with a jab and now goes to the hook. Body kick for Cannonier.
Another body kick for Cannonier. He tries to load up on an overhand but as is often the case Strickland keeps himself just out of range.
Jab for Strickland. Now a jab apiece. Leg kick for Cannonier. Jab for Strickland and a front kick to the body.
Hard one-two from Cannonier. Push kick from Strickland. Right hand scores for Cannonier. Jab for Strickland.
left hook from Cannonier as Strickland also lands. Couple of punches from Strickland. leg kick for Cannonier. Now a punch to the body. Strickland kicks to the leg. Cannonier with a low kick that’s checked.
Punch to the body from Cannonier. He lands it again. Jab for Strickland. Strickland tries for a front kick upstairs that misses and Cannonier lands a punch.
Round Four:
Jab for Strickland. Body punch for Cannonier and then tries to land to the head. Jab for Strickland. He lands a left hook but without much behind it.
leg kick for Cannonier. He lands his own jab. Right hand for Cannonier. Strickland checks a leg kick.
Body punch for Cannonier. Right hand from Strickland after missing a couple of jabs. Jab for him now. He lands the one-two.
Cannonier lands to the body. Inside leg kick for Cannonier. Straight left for Cannonier. Now a body kick of the arm.
Left hand for Strickland and now a body kick. cannonier misses on an overhand and Strickland lands the counter.
Jab for Strickland. He continues to work behind the jab. He lands a one-two now. Right hand gets through nicely for Cannonier. Cannonier looks for a flurry, but Strickland clinches up for a moment to take the sting out of the attack.
Cannonier throws hard with the right hand and gets through and then a solid left hand too. Final jab for Strickland.
Round Five:
Low kick for Cannonier. Right hand gets through for him. Jab for Strickland. Cannonier misses and Strickland lands a brief flurry of punches.
Back to the jab for Strickland. Body kick for Cannonier. Now a body punch for him. He lands to the body again.
Strickland lands a nice combination that backs Cannonier up for a moment. Solid jab for Strickland. Double-jab and a straight for Strickland.
Right hand for Cannonier. Solid punch for Strickland. Hard right hand from Cannonier. Jab for Strickland. Body punch from Cannonier. Strickland with a flurry.
Hooks from Strickland. Hard one-two for Cannonier. Solid left hand for Cannonier. Strickland fires back with lefts and rights, but he’s now bleeding from the nose.
Cannonier goes to the body. Grazing right hand from Cannonier. He lands to the body again. Jab scores for Cannonier. One-two from Strickland.
Punches swatting the target from Strickland. Jab for Cannonier. One-two for Strickland. Cannonier loads up and misses but then does connect to the body.
Strickland with a light flurry. Right hand for Cannonier. Cannonier misses and Strickland goes for a head kick that doesn’t land. We’re headed to the judges.
Decision:
Close fight then with the two trading blow for blow for most of the fight, with Strickland primarily working the jab, while Cannonier struggled to dial in his range at times, but mixed his attacks to the leg, body and head and managed to bloody his opponents nose in the final round.
The judges scorecards are in and it’s Cannonier who emerges with a split decision victory (49-46 x2, 46-49), with two declaring it clearly in his favor, while the other saw it completely the other way.
