Sean Strickland’s striking volume might get him in trouble against Israel Adesanya

Being a high volume striker can take a fighter pretty far in the UFC. Even against more polished or technically sound strikers, the volume can grind on an opponent and sway the balance of the fight. Sean Strickland is a strong example of this. He does not hit with the huge power, and he has been outlanded for periods of time. However, more often than not, he is able to outlast his opponents especially in five-round fights.

For his UFC career, he has landed 5.86 significant strikes, which ranks 19th among ranked fighters. However, his overall striking volume ranks much higher. He attempts 14.23 significant strikes per minute, which is the seventh most in the same group.

While that type of aggression has been able to carry Strickland to a successful UFC career, it might get him in trouble against Israel Adesanya. The gap between his attempt rate and land rate is due to substandard accuracy. In the UFC, he has landed only 41% of his significant strike attempts, which is well below the average for a ranked fighter (48.67%).

In the past, he has been able to overcome the lack of accuracy by simply turning up the volume. However, against Adesanya, this is likely only going to create openings for the champion to counter.

Outside of his fights against Jan Blachowicz and Alex Perreira, Adesanya has outlanded the rest of his opponents in the Octagon. He might be at his best when opponents try to push the pace against him. For example, in his first fight against Robert Whittaker, he was able to defend the title with a second round finish after Whittaker attempted to turn up the volume and pressure.

Adesanya has scored 13 knockdowns in his UFC career and averages 0.73 knockdowns per 15 minutes. That might not sound like a lot, but it is well above the average for a ranked UFC fighter (0.48). Strickland has only been dropped three times in the UFC, but those knockdowns came in three of his five UFC losses. 

Strickland enters this fight as a big underdog, and this is partially due to the fact that his style does not match up well against someone as skillful as the champion. There is always a chance he could actually overcome the odds and take three of five rounds against Adesanya, but it seems unlikely.