The former UFC middleweight champion is nothing if not a very unique character in the sport.
Sean Strickland is far from your usual mixed martial artist both in the way he talks and the fighting style that he implements.
The often controversial 185-pound contender certainly stands out from the pack whether he’s on the mic or competing inside the Octagon.
A lot has been made of Strickland’s style in recent years which involves him utilizing a defensive shell to make it difficult for opponents to find gaps to exploit.
Another way he does this is by not taking too many risks, implementing an arsenal of mostly jabs and front kicks which don’t leave him overexposed.
He will now look to implement this same pressure-focused game plan at UFC 312 when he faces Dricus du Plessis in a rematch for the middleweight title.
Sean Strickland catches Bruna Brasil copying his unique fighting style
In a recent video posted on social media, UFC flyweight Bruna Brasil was seen getting some pad work in at a UFC gym in Sydney, Australia.
The Brazilian is set to take on China’s Cong Wang on Saturday night at the Qudos Bank Arena and she has her fellow Fighting Nerds teammate Caio Borralho with her on fight week, who has also trained with Sean Strickland in recent times.
Whilst going through their training, Brasil starts to hit pads with the same style that Strickland uses, including the boxing combinations, front kicks, shoulder roles, and framing.
One of the athletes on the mat beckons Strickland over with the former middleweight champion getting a kick out of Brasil’s accurate impression before walking away.
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Sean Strickland needs to make adjustments in order to win back the middleweight title
Sean Strickland may not have beaten Dricus du Plessis in their first meeting at UFC 297 but he did have some success with his style.
Unfortunately for the defending champion on that night, his opponent was able to land more by throwing eye-catching strikes at a high volume which led to him getting his hand raised via a split decision.
Strickland’s style is effective but ‘Stillknocks’ has already proven that he can overcome that by not becoming discouraged when he attacks and misses.
It’s on the challenger to try and capitalize on those mistakes in order to settle the score with the South African champion.