Sean Strickland on UFC 171 win: 'If you have a good fight, you get paid more'

DALLAS – Middleweight Sean Strickland on Saturday earned his first UFC victory with his submission skills, but he said fans haven’t seen his full potential in the octagon.

“I honestly think I’m one of the better strikers in the game, and no one has really seen it yet,” Strickland (14-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) told MMAjunkie after tapping out Robert “Bubba” McDaniel (21-8 MMA, 1-2 UFC) at UFC 171. “One of these days, I’m going to put it together, and you’re going to remember that.”

Strickland stepped in on short notice for the injured Tor Troeng and put his undefeated record on the line when he met McDaniel on UFC 171's UFC Fight Pass-streamed preliminary card, which took place at Dallas’ American Airlines Center.

The pair initially traded heavy leather, which made Strickland happy.

“Someone said that if you have a good fight, you get paid more, so I just wanted us to drop our hands and punch each other in the face,” he said.

But it was on the mat where the newcomer distinguished himself, taking McDaniel’s back and sinking in a rear-naked choke late in the opening frame. With the win, Strickland extended his unbeaten streak to 14 fights as a professional. McDaniel, a veteran of “The Ultimate Fighter 17,” dropped his second straight fight in the octagon after a promotional-debut win over Gilbert Smith.

Despite a dominant win, Strickland, who trains with CQuence Jiu-Jitsu, welcomes a break to heal lingering injuries.

“I don’t mind taking a little downtime,” he said. “My hand is a little sore from [hurting it] a while back. The longer down time I get, the better I’ll come back.”

For complete coverage of UFC 171, stay tuned to the UFC Events section of the site.

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