SALT LAKE CITY – Although he’s coming off a loss, Sean Strickland might not be in as deep of a hole as initially perceived. Strickland (25-4 MMA, 12-4 UFC) failed during a title eliminator against Alex Pereira at UFC 276 in July when he lost via first-round knockout , but that doesn’t mean he necessarily took a step back, according to his manager Tim Simpson, of Paradigm Sports. The loss to Pereira snapped a six-fight winning streak for Strickland. One fight after his knockout defeat, Jared Cannonier lost to middleweight champion Israel Adesanya