In a relatively short span, Sean Strickland became a darling of fight fans across the globe. The former middleweight champion even enjoyed crowd support in international venues. Throughout his life, Strickland has suffered severe trauma emotionally and physically, and he has remained vocal about it.
Strickland entered the UFC with an undefeated record as the King of the Cage middleweight champion. Strickland dropped to welterweight after two fights in the UFC, where he fought from 2015 to 2018. In 2018, he suffered a motorcycle accident, which Strickland revealed to be a blessing in disguise.
After my motorcycle accident, I’ve just really detached from ‘Sean the UFC fighter’ to, ‘Hey, I’m happy. Life’s good. My value isn’t this f*cking three-letter f*cking acronym,’ you know? So, yeah, I’ve just really detached myself from the sport, and it’s helped. I just enjoy what I do now.
Sean Strickland via UFC 302 Media Day
Before the motorcycle accident, Strickland felt the UFC logo on his Instagram bio was his identity. However, the accident changed his views. For years, Strickland thought the job titles of a man showed a man’s worth, but the accident and the subsequent thought process changed his views.
The accident also provided another benefit for Strickland. He couldn’t make the welterweight limit and thus made the permanent move to middleweight. Strickland had a better run at middleweight than welterweight. He is 10-3 in the UFC at middleweight but was only 5-3 at welterweight.
Sean Strickland goes off on the government on Memorial Day
The United States of America honors the military personnel who died in the line of duty on Memorial Day, which is the last Monday of May. It is a federal holiday. Several UFC fighters, like Michael Chandler, paid tribute to the fallen soldiers.
Sean Strickland (Image via Imago)However, number one middleweight contender Sean Strickland was furious when the day came. With his conservative world views, Strickland has been critical of the government, and Memorial Day made him think about it, as evidenced by his tweet.
Gotta be honest every memorial day I’m just reminded why I hate our government……… :/ How many Americans died over lies spun by the government.
Sean Strickland via UFC 302 Media Day
Gotta be honest every memorial day I’m just reminded why I hate our government……… :/ How many Americans died over lies spun by the government.
— Sean Strickland (@SStricklandMMA) May 27, 2024
Strickland has a fight against Paulo Costa in the upcoming UFC 302 co-main event. If victorious, Strickland will be looking to fight at UFC 305 on short notice if either Israel Adesanya or Dricus Du Plessis pulls out. Erick Nicksick, Strickland’s head coach, has already revealed they would do it if an opportunity arises.
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