UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland is certain how a fantasy matchup with a prime Anderson Silva would play out — and he’s backing himself in a big way.
Strickland, a two-time UFC middleweight champion who captured the 185-pound title by defeating Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 328, said he believes the evolution of the sport would give him the edge over the former long-reigning king.
"I'd f*ck him up," Strickland said when asked about facing Silva in his prime.
Silva holds the record for most consecutive UFC middleweight title defenses at 10 and is widely considered one of the greatest middleweights and fighters of all time. Strickland pointed to what he sees as a generational gap.
"I think there's a big level difference now. If you could take Anderson Silva and bring him into modern time, you know what I'm saying? Every generation gets better and better and better. So it's kind of one of those hard fights to say, 'Would I beat this guy up?' Well, yeah, like naturally the sport is getting better."
Strickland’s resume at 185 pounds includes wins over Khamzat Chimaev, Israel Adesanya, Nassourdine Imavov, Brendan Allen, Paulo Costa, and Anthony Hernandez, adding more fuel to his confidence when discussing hypothetical matchups with past greats.
