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DDP vs. Strickland 2 is this weekend, and despite the first fight being decently close with DDP getting the nod, I don’t see the rematch being much different. If anything, I expect DDP to do even better.
Dricus is a bruiser; he’s that Street Shark on Rollerblades. I think Strickland can certainly win if he can switch a few things up, but it would have to involve significantly more damage, completely avoiding the ground game, and maybe even getting a takedown of his own. The reason I say this is because even though DDP has the style of a giant boulder falling down a rocky mountain, he has optics on his side. If you land one punch, he’ll swing 2 or 3, and it doesn’t matter if they land or not. He’ll get into ugly exchanges, he’ll land nothing but get one leg kick in. And when the timing is right, he’ll secure a takedown. He does just enough to convince the judges he’s winning. Optics. If Dricus doesn’t get a finish, he’ll simply win on optics.
So my pick is DDP, I’ll say by decision. I think Strickland has respectable skills, but the way he follows his opponents, doesn’t throw with authority, and rarely uses his takedowns effectively, I just see him getting DDP’d.
Nothing thrilling with this analysis.
