Usman strengths
constant forward pressure
leaning, grinding, clinch heavy attack
extremely strong in clinch
looks to back guys into cage and trip from the clinch
amazing trips
great chain wrestler
will open up with heavy standing strikes once opponent is tired
Usman weaknesses
eats a lot of straight punches down the pipe
opponents are often able to pop back up from underneath him, not the best top control
most (basically all) of his TDs come against the fence, so a fighter with good lateral movement and footwork can avoid the clinch
well-timed body shots have kept him from changing levels
hard on the gas pedal, if made to work outside his comfort zone then cardio is a question
Strickland strengths
great size/frame for division
excellent stinging jab
good pressure, good at cutting off cage, lateral movement
well rounded, technical striking
good TDD, springs right up when taken down
active guard
lateral movement when pressured
Strickland weaknesses
tall guy defense (upright stature, chin not tucked)
punches over the top of his jab
Ponz + Breese both had success with chopping low kicks
Both Usman and Strickland have a clear path to victory. Usman will look to wear Strick out with his heavy, grinding attack and take over the fight. Strick will look to circle away from Usman's pressure, avoid the clinch and TD, and use his jab and boxing to punish Usman standing. It all comes down to whether Strick can circle away consistently or be drawn into a clinch battle. Usman is heavily favored by the books but there are still some questions that remain unanswered about him and Strickland presents a stiffer challenge than his previous opponents on his run. At +275 Strick is absolutely worth a play imo.