Even though this was Sean Strickland’s first octagon appearance, he did not seem to show any sign of first-time jitters. He showed pure dominance against Bubba McDaniel tonight and finished him in the first round.

Strickland forced McDaniel to be careful with his striking right off the bat as Strickland caught one of his body kicks and countered it with a big right hand. McDaniel then tried to take him down instead, but the plan backfired and Strickland showed his grappling supremacy.

Strickland landed a takedown and started off in half-guard. He utilized striking to transition to McDaniel’s back and he ultimately locked in the rear naked choke.

Strickland improves his record to 14-0.

Sean Strickland def. Bubba McDaniel by way of Submission (Rear Naked Choke) 4:33 of Round 1