Sean Strickland made sure his 2023 got started on a positive note.
He snapped his two-fight skid by dominating his way toward a unanimous decision victory over Nassourdine Imavov in a 205-pound main event to headline UFC Fight Night. Judges at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday scored it 49-46, 49-46 and 48-47 for Strickland.
Strickland closed out the UFC's 2022 with a stinging loss to Jared Cannonier last month and entered the Octagon on Saturday night as the aggressor. He immediately closed space and asserted his brand of boxing, immediately putting together one-two combinations.
When he wasn't leaning on his boxing, Strickland was shrewdly forcing Imavov to reset by launching toe kicks and redirecting his momentum altogether by pressing him up against the fence, where he racked up a control time edge of nearly four minutes.
By the end of the five-round affair, Strickland had landed 113 significant head strikes to Imavov's 85 as his persistent boxing frustrated Imavov for 25 minutes.
Strickland walked into the Octagon on Saturday as the seventh-ranked middleweight, making this victory a likely pivotal one toward improving his UFC ranking.
Strickland, who improved to 26-5, called himself a "company man" after the win and said that he'll fight whomever the promotion decides to put in front of him next. He took Saturday night's fight on short notice and after a turnaround of less than a month.
"If I ever touch a belt, I'll be grateful, it'll be an accomplishment but I'm here for the wars, I'm here for the money," Strickland said on the UFC Fight Night post show on ESPN+.
Here's how the entire UFC Fight Night: Strickland vs. Imavov main card went.