In the second fight on the UFC 171 Fight Pass prelims, middleweight Bubba McDaniel faced off against Sean Strickland. Strickland took the lead in the opening seconds with a quick right hand and never lost the momentum. After working McDaniel on the mat Strickland finished the fight with a rear naked choke late in the first round
Strickland got the action started with a well-timed straight right, but Bubba quickly got out of range. Bubba stayed on the outside for a while before coming in for a combination, but ate another right hand for his effort. He followed that up with a takedown attempt. Strickland popped right up then hit a takedown of his own before ending up in top half-guard after a scramble. With about a minute left in the round he postured up and landed some solid ground and pound on McDaniel. Bubba tried to scramble out but Strickland caught a rear naked choke as the round was coming to a close.
Sean Strickland submitted (rear naked choke) Bubba McDaniel at 4:33 of round 1