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One of two middleweight bouts where one of the participants is, in theory, being thrown into the deep end of the talent pool this month, Saturday’s first main event of July is a fascinating matchup.
Strickland is a known commodity — a 32-year-old marauder headlining for the third straight fight and fourth time in five appearances. Sporting a 6-2 record since returning to action in the fall of 2020, the Xtreme Couture representative is entrenched in the Top 10 and the kind of established presence in the middle of the rankings that anyone with hopes of becoming a contender needs to pass in order to feel legitimate.
Magomedov is the question mark.
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Also 32, the Russian-born fighter is 25-4-1 overall and coming off a 19-second knockout win over Dustin Stoltzfus in his promotional debut last September in Paris. While some folks bristle at a sophomore being hustled into a headlining opportunity, Magomedov has a wealth of experience, a well-rounded skill set, and could prove himself to be a worthy contender with a win this weekend.
Personally, I’d like to see more bookings like this, where emerging names with undetermined ceilings face off with divisional stalwarts in order to get a better understanding of where they fit, rather than having them slowly make their way through the ranks in matchups where they’re considerable favorites, especially with experienced competitors.
This weekend, we’ll find out more about where Magomedov stands in the middleweight division.