UFC light heavyweight submission artist expresses interest in fighting Sean Strickland at middleweight

Sean Strickland is known for taking on any opponent presented to him, having accepted fights against unranked contenders on multiple occasions. Strickland is now being targeted by ranked light heavyweight Paul Craig, who is exploring a move down to 185 pounds.

The Scottish submission specialist boasts an impressive win against current light heavyweight champion Jamahal Hill, but having lost to many contenders ranked above him, the chance at a title shot is slim. However, Craig sees opportunities in the division below, as he explained on the Leather'd Podcast:

“We had this idea of going to middleweight, not because light heavyweight is done, but just the way light heavyweight is sitting at the moment, there’s not a lot of fights above me who I’m going to get to fight. So I’m like, ‘Right, maybe there’s an opportunity at middleweight.’ So we’re like, ‘Right, we’ve got a bit of time... Let’s see if we can make the weight and then go in on the Saturday and spar hard, and see if we can perform.”

Craig singled out No.7-ranked middleweight Sean Strickland and played down the middleweight's arsenal:

“I do believe at middleweight there’s some opportunities for me. I like the idea of Sean Strickland. I like the idea of that fight. He’s gonna stand in front of you, isn’t he? You don’t look at him and think, ‘Right, he’s a very dangerous striker, and I’m imagining he’s got very good wrestling, very good jiu-jitsu.’ I’m just a jiu-jitsu guy fighting MMA. I believe I can capitalize on that. Size is gonna be a huge factor, as well."

Catch Paul Craig's comments below (33:21):

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Sean Strickland next fight: Who will the middleweight contender fight next?

Sean Strickland has had no shortage of call-outs recently, with Brendan Allen vying for a matchup against him after the latter's main event bout against Jack Hermansson was canceled.

However, Strickland's next fight is a main event matchup against Dagestan-born German Abus Magomedov on July 1 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Magomedov is unranked and has only one fight in the UFC, albeit a stunning first-round knockout win against Dustin Stoltzfus.