To say that the past twelve months have been a whirlwind for Sean Strickland would be an understatement.
It’s fair to say Strickland has caused a lot of controversy in 2023. He said he had ongoing thoughts of harming other people, women should be taken out of the workforce, and that they shouldn’t be able to vote. During the past twelve months, he also tackled a home intruder, became UFC Champion, and inadvertently inspired many men with his openness regarding his struggles with trauma. The life of a fighter is far from dull, particularly in the case of Strickland.
Following back-to-back defeats against Alex Pereira and Jared Cannonier, Strickland had slipped from number four to seven in the UFC middleweight rankings and was far from being in the UFC title picture as we entered 2023. Unbeknown to him, it was all about to change.
The Tide Begins To Turn
Strickland began 2023 with a fight against Nassourdine Imavov on January 14th at the UFC APEX in Las Vegas. He pressed forward and landed some good shots in the opening round. The momentum continued into the second before Imavov began to find his rhythm. Strickland began to assert his dominance during the back end of the fight, utilizing his boxing skills from within close range. Going to the judges’ scorecards, Strickland won a unanimous decision (49-46 x2, 48-47.)
Back in the win column, Strickland’s next fight came six months later against Abus Magomedov. Although Magomedov started strongly, he began to look fatigued by the beginning of the second round. Strickland capitalized on this and took control of the fight, easily landing and rocking Magomedov multiple times. After being dropped, the referee, Mark Smith, ended the fight. Despite going into the fight as a big favorite, the performance was a statement from Strickland, and the momentum had swung back in his favor.
UFC Title Shot
Meanwhile, the UFC Middleweight Title was now back in the hands of Israel Adesanya after he got revenge against Alex Pereira.
Then, following an upset victory over Robert Whittaker at UFC 290, Dricus du Plessis squared off against Adesanya in the octagon. The pair were then scheduled to fight at the Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney for UFC 293. An injury to du Plessis forced him out of the fight, and the champion required a new dance partner.
They say timing is everything, and Sean Strickland would undoubtedly agree. Adesanya had already beaten the other contenders, some of them twice, and with the risk of the middleweight division becoming stale, the UFC opted for some fresh blood.
Strickland was named as the replacement for the main event at UFC 293 and went into the fight against Adesanya as the huge -650 underdog.
Strickland’s relentless pressure threw off Adesanya, and the champion could not gain momentum early on. As Strickland closed the distance at every opportunity, the champion struggled to utilize his elite kickboxing skills.
Adesanya was rocked in round one from a flurry of strikes, but Strickland could not find the stoppage. Apart from an improvement in round two from the champion, the remainder of the fight was predominately one-way traffic. The high output continued, and Adesanya spent large parts of the fight with his back to the cage, unable to establish distance.
To the surprise of those watching around the world, Strickland coasted to victory against the formidable Israel Adesanya, winning four rounds to one on all three scorecards.
Life As A Champion
Shortly after his title win, Strickland was in the news for apprehending a gentleman he perceived as a home intruder. The man was perched between two of Strickland’s cars, and he went outside to confront the man and nullify the threat before the police arrived at the scene.
As custom with new UFC champions, media obligations increased for Strickland post-fight as he appeared on numerous podcasts and MMA shows. The new champion gave fans an insight into his personality like never before, and unsurprisingly, controversial comments followed.
One interview stood out in particular, a podcast episode with comedian Theo Von where Strickland opened up on his childhood trauma. It was unusual to see Strickland being so forthcoming and vulnerable, and the emotional interview reminded us all that things are not always as they seem on the surface.
Following a couple of months of raising his profile even further through the media, Strickland was in attendance at UFC 296: Edwards vs. Covington.
Dana White seated the champion close to the man he would be making his first title defense against, Dricus du Plessis, a decision that would come back to haunt the UFC President. After some goading from the du Plessis, Strickland jumped into the crowd and lunged at his rival, and a brawl followed.
The pair are scheduled to face each other at UFC 297 in Toronto, Canada. It’s been a rollercoaster for Sean Strickland this past year, and the ride isn’t stopping anytime soon.
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