Tag: Sean Strickland

Sean Strickland rematch or Israel Adesanya next? UFC champ Dricus Du Plessis opens vote to fans

UFC champ Dricus Du Plessis is willing to consider fighting Sean Strickland again.

UFC middleweight champion [autotag]Dricus Du Plessis[/autotag] is willing to consider fighting [autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag] again.

Du Plessis (21-2 MMA, 7-0 UFC) defeated Strickland by split decision to claim the 185-pound title at UFC 297 in January. He is projected to make his first title defense against [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] – a fight the promotion tried to make for UFC 300 on April 13. Du Plessis turned it down due to not being recovered from injuries yet.

Strickland (28-6 MMA, 15-6 UFC) argued that he was robbed and called for a rematch. Du Plessis didn’t shut him down and instead pivoted to the fans to get their input.

“Since this is a spectator sport What do you guys think @SStricklandMMA or @stylebender Just for the record it makes absolutely no difference to me the result will be the same.”

During the UFC 297 post-fight news conference, UFC CEO Dana White said he scored the fight for Strickland, after having it tied 2-2 going into Round 5. Du Plessis saw it completely differently.

“I agree I won 4 in a row.”

Adesanya (24-3 MMA, 13-3 UFC) hasn’t competed since losing his middleweight title to Strickland this past September at UFC 293. He announced that he’d be taking some time off, but is already ready to compete again.

[lawrence-related id=2711996,2711441,2711329,2711327]

Robert Whittaker: Khamzat Chimaev fight good for ‘clout,’ beating Sean Strickland puts me at No. 1

Robert Whittaker sees the benefit of what a win against Sean Strickland could do for his title-shot chances.

[autotag]Robert Whittaker[/autotag] prefers fighting [autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag] over [autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag] next.

Fresh off an impressive win over Paulo Costa at UFC 298, Whittaker (25-7 MMA, 16-5 UFC) is eyeing a return on the rumored Perth, Australia card in August. With the former UFC middleweight champion having already fought the majority of the top-ranked contenders, he’s yet to face two big names – Strickland (28-6 MMA, 15-6 UFC) and Chimaev (13-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC). But for Whittaker, a fight with former champ Strickland has more perks.

“That’s tricky because that doesn’t move me. It does in clout, but it doesn’t move me higher up in the rankings,” Whittaker told MMA Junkie of a fight with Chimaev. “I don’t know. I want to fight guys in the top five. Beating Strickland puts me at (No.) 1 again, and that’s as close as you can get really.”

Strickland took aim at Whittaker during the UFC 297 pre-fight press conference, implying that he’s one-dimensional. Whittaker could only laugh off his comments.

“Yeah, pretty good blitzing, you know?” Whittaker said. “And everyone knows I do it, so I’m interested to see if he can do something about it, as well. I’ll blitz him, as well.”

Strickland captured the middleweight title in Sydney, Australia when he upset Israel Adesanya at UFC 293. He later lost it to Dricus Du Plessis this past January at UFC 297.

Strickland was very popular amongst the Australian fans, so Whittaker thinks it shouldn’t be too difficult to lure him back to fighting there.

“He had a huge reception here in Australia,” Whittaker said. “I’m sure that the fans would love to see me and him cross paths here on home soil, and he by all looks of it, I think he has fond memories of Australia, right? So, I would think he would be up for it.”

[lawrence-related id=2721418,2719497,2717595]

Chael Sonnen isn’t keen on seeing Sean Strickland fight Robert Whittaker: ‘It eliminates a top guy’

Chael Sonnen doesn’t like the potential consequences of Sean Strickland fighting Robert Whittaker.

[autotag]Chael Sonnen[/autotag] doesn’t want to see [autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag] fight [autotag]Robert Whittaker[/autotag].

After returning to the win column with a win over Paulo Costa at UFC 298, Whittaker (25-7 MMA, 16-5 UFC) said he sees fellow former champion Strickland (28-6 MMA, 15-6 UFC) as a logical next opponent.

With middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis linked to a title fight against Israel Adesanya, Sonnen thinks a potential Strickland vs. Whittaker fight would take out a title contender.

“I don’t know how Sean Strickland should handle it,” Sonnen said on his YouTube channel. “My thought on it is contrary to what I would generally have. I think Strickland should ignore it. I don’t think that those two should fight. I don’t think that that behooves all of us. I think it eliminates a top guy. Generally in this sport, all we’re trying to do is get the top guys vs. the top guys.

“I get it. The timing feels off to me. It just feels off to me. If you agree with me and you think it’s off, what you’re not going to think that, and you’re not going to agree with me, and we’re not going to have this same opinion one week from now if Sean Strickland jumps onboard and addresses it. … I think it’s the wrong direction.”

Prior to beating Costa, Whittaker suffered a TKO loss to Du Plessis at UFC 290. Strickland is coming off a title loss to Du Plessis at UFC 297 in January.

[lawrence-related id=2717595,2717231,2716929,2716023]

Eric Nicksick likes idea of Sean Strickland fighting Robert Whittaker next: ‘He’s one of the best 185ers to ever do it’

Eric Nicksick has long admired Robert Whittaker, which is one reason why he’d love the challenger for Sean Strickland.

Xtreme Couture head coach Eric Nicksick is open to the idea of [autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag] fighting [autotag]Robert Whittaker[/autotag] next.

Strickland (28-6 MMA, 15-6 UFC) lost his middleweight title to Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 297 in January. Meanwhile, former champion Whittaker rebounded from his TKO loss to Du Plessis by outlasting Paulo Costa at UFC 298.

Whittaker (25-7 MMA, 16-5 UFC) was asked about Strickland during the UFC 298 post-fight news conference, and he didn’t dismiss the matchup. Strickland’s head coach, Nicksick, had plenty of high praise for Whittaker.

“It’s a great fight,” Nicksick told MMA Junkie Radio. “I still think Robert’s the most talented from top to bottom in the division, in my opinion. I think he has the most skill set and is the most dangerous. I’ve always been a huge fan of Robert Whittaker. I’ve stolen a lot of techniques off of him, things that he’s done.

“I’ve seen him in the locker room, warming up, doing things that I put in my database and taken for good reason. I think he’s one of the best 185ers to ever do it, and I think had it not been for Israel Adesanya, Robert Whittaker would have been holding that belt for a long period of time.”

Strickland has emerged as a fan favorite and one of the most popular (and polarizing) fighters on the roster. Nicksick has no issue with Strickland keeping active, especially if he can capitalize on his budding star power.

“He’s a prize fighter, and I think money talks,” Nicksick said. “So, he’s in a position where he can maximize on his value in the situation that he’s in, then why not? Why not go fight? He hasn’t been taking a whole lot of damage other than the Alex Pereira fight, so he’s relatively healthy. He’s still back in the room, he’s still training hard, he’s doing everything he’s supposed to do.”

[lawrence-related id=2716007,2715384,2714982,2714267,2714204]

Video: Former UFC champ Sean Strickland keeps making headlines

Our “Spinning Back Clique” discusses the latest reasons Sean Strickland has been making headlines.

[autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag] continues to make headlines in and out of the octagon, for better or worse.

Before losing the middleweight title to Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 297, Strickland made headlines that reached far beyond the MMA bubble because of his homophobic tirade during media day. It didn’t take long after the event for Strickland to keep his name in the news cycle.

Strickland recently sparred the popular streamer Sneako, leaving him bloodied after going way too hard on someone who is not a professional fighter, and does not remotely possess the fighting skills of a former UFC champion.

Then, at a recent Power Slap event, Strickland made headlines again for actions outside of the octagon as he got into a verbal altercation with musical artist Machine Gun Kelly.

Our “Spinning Back Clique” panel of Farah Hannoun, Brian “Goze” Garcia and Danny Segura discuss the latest with Strickland with host “Gorgeous” George Garcia, and whether or not the UFC should intervene in some capacity.

Check out their discussion in the video above, and don’t miss this week’s full episode on YouTube or in podcast form below.

https://www.youtube.com/live/DpQXebnLHXU?si=PEqd-7rByiGTULnV

[lawrence-related id=2715384,2714992,2714267]

Ian Machado Garry vows to ‘thump the f*cking mouth off Sean Strickland one day’

Ian Machado Garry won’t let Sean Strickland’s personal attacks go.

IRVINE, Calif. – [autotag]Ian Machado Garry[/autotag] won’t let [autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag]’s personal attacks go.

Strickland mocked Garry’s relationship with his wife, which Garry (13-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) said has caused the former middleweight champion’s fans to come after him and his family on social media. Strickland (28-6 MMA, 15-6 UFC) is known to take shots at numerous fighters but has also emotionally opened up about his own childhood trauma. Garry plans on making Strickland pay for some of the things he’s said.

“Listen, we can shoot shots at each other all day long, me and another bloke, but here’s the two things that I’ll point out,” Garry said at Wednesday’s UFC 298 media day. “My wife was called a pedophile by Sean Strickland. No woman ever deserves to be called that. That’s the truth. My son, the people that follow Sean Strickland commented on a couple of my photos at the very start of all this hate saying, ‘Is the kid even his?’ I should never have to hear that. Those two things, they emotionally get me. I’ll get mine back. I’ll thump the f*cking mouth off Sean Strickland one day, and there will be nothing he can do about it.

“I’ll talk to him, I’ll dance in his face, I’ll do whatever I want, because the truth is, when we get locked into that cage one day, he’s never going to be able to deal with me. The truth is I have a target on my back. I have the ability to stand here and shoot shots at anyone I want, because this is my job, and they have the opportunity in return. So for me, when you attack people in my circle when they don’t deserve it, that’s out of line. Look, Sean Strickland is not the f*cking voice we should all be listening to. He’s deeply, deeply in debt with trauma, and he should just be silent and try to deal with his own personal issues himself, and that’s where it mainly came from.”

Garry meets Geoff Neal (15-5 MMA, 7-3 UFC) on Saturday’s UFC 298 (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+) main card at Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif.

Although Garry and Strickland are in different weight classes, the unbeaten welterweight still insists on fighting him.

“For sure, there’s no f*cking man on the planet that talks about my wife or my family like that and doesn’t get it eventually,” Garry said. “The truth is, he’s never going to be relevant again. He’s lost the belt. He’s lost the interest. There’s a point at which I’ll jump in on a short-notice fight, and I’ll dance all over him. I’m far too quick. I’m far too talented, and he’ll just be missing.”

[lawrence-related id=2712609,2711187,2707822,2707194]

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 298.

Sean Strickland vs. Bryce Hall? Ex-UFC champ turns attention toward another influencer

After TikTok star Bryce Hall challenged him to a sparring match, Sean Strickland began looking up states with “stand your ground” laws.

What do Jake Paul, Sneako, and [autotag]Bryce Hall[/autotag] have in common besides being influencers?

Well, they’ve all become recent targets of former UFC middleweight champion [autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag].

Friday, Strickland did hold back against Sneako in a sparring session that resembled more of an unofficial fight. Hours later, Strickland engaged in a war of words with Paul, complete with quasi-death threats.

Now, Hall is in the line of fire of Strickland’s violent fantasies after a sparring challenge was issued by the YouTube and TikTok star.

“It’s kind of f*cked up,” Hall recently told Inside Fighting when asked about Strickland’s beatdown of Sneako. “I would love to spar with Sean Strickland. … I think he is kind of degrading influencers who are trying to get into the fighting space.

“When you’re an experienced fighter, a former champion at that, you should never go into a spar with somebody that has little-to-no boxing experience and try to knock him out. Dana, set me up with Sean Strickland. I want to do a spar. I guarantee I would crack Sean Strickland. … He’d crack me, but I can crack.”

Check out the full genesis and evolution of the Strickland vs. Hall saga below.

Sean Strickland reveals how Machine Gun Kelly altercation started: ‘He looked at me like I was less than human’

Ex-UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland recounts his heated interaction with Machine Gun Kelly in Las Vegas.

[autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag]’s has revealed his side of the story of the viral (and heated) interaction he had with musician Machine Gun Kelly.

The former UFC middleweight champion made headlines last Friday, as he had an awkward moment with MGK in the crowd at a Power Slap event in Las Vegas.

Strickland and MGK seemed to be talking normally for a few seconds until things went downhill. Strickland looked offended at something MGK said and cussed him out before he walked away and things deescalated.

“(Luke Trembath) introduces me to the vampire (Machine Gun Kelly) and I make fun of him,” Strickland said on his YouTube channel. “I’m like, ‘Dude, what are you f*cking wearing? Like, what the f*ck is going on here? How are you doing this?’ He looked at me, and he didn’t laugh, and he didn’t giggle, but he looked at me like, ‘Why is this guy with no respect talking to me like this?’ … He looked at me like I was less than human.”

“… I was like, ‘You know what? I’m going to f*cking humble you right now. Then my girl kind of f*cking got in the way and was like, ‘Chill the f*ck out,’ and then I was escorted out.”

[lawrence-related id=2714952,2714892]

Strickland had another tense interaction with an influencer that same night. It seems he didn’t enjoy his time at Power Slap given some of the people that were invited as guests.

“You guys don’t understand, these people at these slap fights, they’re not people,” Strickland said. “They’re influencers. I interact with hundreds of people. I go snowboarding. No fan ever has anything bad to say about me, because I love you guys. But these people are not you guys.

“… I can’t explain it until you interact with these people, and you’re around them. It’s like they have this weird God complex. When I’m around them, I just want to hurt them all to remind them, ‘You are just a human being, shut the f*ck up.'”

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=420030788]

‘I’m easy to find, vampire man’: Sean Strickland calls Machine Gun Kelly ‘a weird dude’ to his face

Watch Sean Strickland hurl insults at Machine Gun Kelly including “vampire man” and “weird dude.”

Friday was quite the day for former UFC champion [autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag].

Just hours after he bloodied streamer Sneako and sent quasi-death threats to Jake Paul on X, Strickland engaged in another altercation – this time in-person with music star Machine Gun Kelly.

Strickland and MGK crossed paths as spectators at a star-studded Power Slap event at Durango Casino & Resort in Las Vegas. A portion of the interaction was caught on video by Inside Fighting. The altercation did not get physical.

While it’s unclear what started the altercation, Strickland can be heard calling MGK “weird” and insulting his attire. As he walked away, Strickland turned back and said, “I’m easy to find, vampire man.”

Before video of the incident surfaced on social media, Strickland announced on X that something had happened between him and MGK.

“I almost hit a vampire tonight… lol!” Strickland wrote. “They said his name is machine gun kelly.. How do you have a dope ass name and dress like a 13 goth south park character?!?”

Following the conclusion of the Power Slap event in Las Vegas, UFC CEO Dana White was asked about the altercation at a news conference.

“You can’t bring Sean Strickland around any other human beings,” White said after a lengthy (and laughter-inducing) pause. “You know what I mean? It has nothing to do with Machine Gun Kelly. It’s about humans.”

The initial X post was the first of many, as Strickland went on to tag MGK’s fiancé Megan Fox in a follow-up tweet. The movie “Transformers” then caught a stray from the former champion.

MGK has yet to comment publicly on the spat.

Jake Paul challenges ‘horrid boxer’ Sean Strickland; Former UFC champ responds with death threat

Jake Paul’s $1 million fight challenge to Sean Strickland took a dark turn in a nasty back-and-forth on social media.

Former UFC middleweight champion [autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag] is no stranger to riling people up, and one of his latest actions caught the eye of [autotag]Jake Paul[/autotag].

Strickland recently sparred with Sneako, which in reality, was just a one-sided beatdown that left the streamer bruised and bloodied. Paul took exception to the footage that was posted online, prompting the YouTuber-turned-boxer to issue a challenge of his own.

“The Problem Child” called Strickland “embarrassing” and a “horrid boxer” for his actions against Sneako. Paul challenged Strickland to travel to Puerto Rico for a fight, and if the former UFC champion wins, he will take home a $1 million prize.

It didn’t take long for Strickland to offer his reply, in which he took a shot at Paul for losing to Tommy Fury. Strickland also accepted the challenge, but things took a dark turn from that point, as the former UFC champ said he would kill Paul if it were legal.

Scroll below to read the back-and-forth messages between Paul and Strickland.