Sean Strickland can beat Jared Cannonier “pretty easily” at UFC Vegas 66 if he fights smart, says teammate: “He should do well in this if he fights with his head and not his pride”

Chris Curtis believes Sean Strickland should beat Jared Cannonier with ease in the main event of UFC Vegas 66 on Saturday.

Strickland and Cannonier were supposed to fight in October but the bout was rescheduled due to Strickland’s finger being infected. Although the two have more time to prepare for one another, Curtis and everyone at Xtreme Couture after confident Strickland will get his hand raised if he fights smart. Yet, that is the big question of if he will fight smart.

“I think Sean has a lot of ways to win this fight, I think he has more ways to win than Jared does,” Curtis said on Just Scrap Radio on BJPENN.com about Strickland vs. Cannonier. “But, Jared also hits like a freaking tank so it’s a matter of Sean being smart and being patient. It goes back to what I said earlier about fighting to fight or fighting to win. If Sean fights to win this fight, I think he can win pretty easily. If he fights this fight to fight, well now we are talking about some danger because if Jared touches you he can hurt you. So, he should do well in this if he fights with his head and not his pride.”

Of course, why Chris Curtis wonders if Sean Strickland will fight smart is due to how he fought Alex Pereira. According to Curtis, the game plan was for Strickland to wrestle Pereira. But, he decided to stand and was knocked out in the first round.

However, Curtis still isn’t sure if Strickland learned his lesson. Yet, knows his teammate wants this win badly as it puts him back in title contention.

“We will see. I think he’s looking to get back on track and go out there and be smart. He will be Sean but will be smart about it,” Curtis concluded.

Do you think Sean Strickland will beat Jared Cannonier at UFC Vegas 66?