Many fight fans won’t remember the former middleweight champion’s run and significant losses at 170-pounds
Sean Strickland makes his Octagon return this Saturday night at UFC 312 where he will look to become a two-time middleweight champion in Australia.
The 22-fight UFC veteran has achieved some incredible success at 185-pounds in recent years where he has really come into his own as a top fighter.
This run that began in 2020 has led him back to Dricus Du Plessis, the current middleweight champion, as the two rivals look to clash for a second time over the title.
Strickland’s unique style may be incredibly effective up at middleweight but it did take him some time to reach these heights following a somewhat forgotten run at welterweight where he suffered some difficult setbacks.
Sean Strickland Suffered Wheel Kick KO in 2018
After beginning his career in the UFC as a middleweight, Sean Strickland dropped down to welterweight where he went 4-2 heading into UFC 244 in May of 2018.
He had never been finished at this point in his career despite suffering two losses to Santiago Ponzinibbio and Kamaru Usman inside the Octagon.
That changed when he locked horns with Brazil’s Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos who was riding a four-fight win streak when he stepped inside the Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro.
With 90 seconds left in the opening round, dos Santos landed a huge spinning wheel kick to drop Strickland before following up with strikes to force the referee to step in.
The highlight reel finish did not earn the welterweight contender a performance bonus which isn’t necessarily surprising considering that this was the night where Lyoto Machida front-kicked Vitor Belfort in his final UFC fight.
Sean Strickland changes his tune on Du Plessis call out
Sean Strickland wanted to go to war with Dricus Du Plessis in their first encounter at UFC 297 and though the majority of the fight was contested on the feet, it didn’t stop the South African from shooting for several takedowns.
The challenger has changed his mind about their upcoming rematch knowing that ‘Stillknocks’ will likely look to constantly vary up his approach to keep his opponent guessing.
Strickland told MMA Junkie’s Mike Bohn ahead of fight week that he doesn’t hold a grudge against Du Plessis for implementing some grappling exchanges the last time they fought and he’s ready for it again on February 8.
“I talk a lot of s*** bro, but I don’t give a f***, you can wrestle all you want,” Strickland said.
“It’s funny to talk s***, it’s funny for one-liners, but you’re an MMA fighter and I’m an MMA fighter.
“You wanna f***** grab my legs, you wanna f****** cuddle on the ground, f****** go full send.”