Sean Strickland

Sean Thomas Strickland (born February 27, 1991) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is the current and two-time UFC Middleweight Champion. A professional since 2008, he is a former Middleweight Champion of the King of the Cage. As of June 16, 2026, he is #7 in the UFC men's pound-for-pound rankings.

Early life Sean Strickland grew up in Corona, California, in a household with a physically and mentally abusive father. During Strickland’s early childhood, he attacked his father with a guitar in an attempt to defend his mother out of fear he might kill her. Strickland fled from his house and contacted his local law enforcement leading to his father being briefly arrested. However, the next day his father was released from jail as his mother paid for his bail.

In Strickland’s adolescence, he developed a close relationship with his grandfather, who exposed him to neo-Nazi ideology. In ninth grade Strickland was expelled from school for perpetrating a hate crime; afterwards, his mother brought him to an MMA gym to help him cope with his problems. During a 2024 episode on the This Past Weekend podcast, he revealed that his father had died of cancer following a long-term drug addiction.

Ultimate Fighting Championship 2014 Strickland made his UFC debut at UFC 171 on March 15, 2014, facing Bubba McDaniel. Strickland won via rear-naked choke submission in the first round.

Strickland made his next appearance at UFC Fight Night 41 against Luke Barnatt on May 31, 2014. Strickland won via split decision. 11 out of 11 media outlets scored the bout for Barnatt.

2015 Strickland faced Santiago Ponzinibbio in a welterweight bout on February 22, 2015, at UFC Fight Night 61. Strickland lost the back and forth fight via unanimous decision.

As a part of his training for his fight with Ponzinibbio, Strickland took part in Josh Koscheck's fight camp in Fresno, California, for Koscheck's fight with Jake Ellenberger at UFC 184.

Strickland faced Igor Araújo on July 15, 2015, at UFC Fight Night 71. He won the fight by unanimous decision.

2016 Strickland faced Alex Garcia on February 21, 2016, at UFC Fight Night 83. After a back-and-forth first two rounds, Strickland won the fight via TKO in the third round.

Strickland next faced Tom Breese on June 4, 2016, at UFC 199. He won the fight via split decision.

Strickland was expected to face Tim Means on August 20, 2016, at UFC 202. However Strickland pulled out of the fight in early August citing a knee injury. He was replaced by promotional newcomer Sabah Homasi.

2017 Strickland faced Kamaru Usman on April 8, 2017, at UFC 210. He lost the fight via unanimous decision.

Strickland faced Court McGee on November 11, 2017, at UFC Fight Night 120. This fight was back and forth for all three rounds and was initially announced a majority draw with scores of 30-27, 29-29, and 29-29. After the fight it was revealed there was an error in calculating the judges' scorecards and Strickland was declared the winner by unanimous decision.

2018 Strickland faced Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos on May 12, 2018, at UFC 224. He lost the fight via knockout in the first round.

Strickland faced Nordine Taleb on October 27, 2018, at UFC Fight Night 138. He won the fight via technical knockout in the second round. Strickland became a free agent after the fight by fighting out his contract.

2020 Returning from a two-year hiatus after a motorcycle accident, Strickland was scheduled to face Wellington Turman on October 31, 2020, at UFC Fight Night 181. However on September 29, Turman pulled out due to COVID-19 sequelae that rendered him unable to train after his two-week quarantine ended on September 2, and he was replaced by Jack Marshman. At the weight-ins, Marshman weighed in at 187.5 pounds, one and a half pounds over the middleweight non-title fight limit. The bout proceeded at catchweight and Marshman was fined 20% of his purse, which went to Strickland. Strickland won the fight via unanimous decision.

As a result of Ian Heinisch contracting COVID-19, Strickland replaced Heinisch on short notice and faced Brendan Allen on November 14, 2020 in a 195 lb catchweight bout, at UFC Fight Night: Felder vs. dos Anjos. He won the fight via technical knockout. This win earned him the Performance of the Night award.

2021

Strickland faced Krzysztof Jotko on May 1, 2021, at UFC on ESPN: Reyes vs. Procházka. He won the bout via unanimous decision.

Strickland was expected to face Uriah Hall on August 7, 2021, at UFC 265. However on June 4, 2021, the bout with Hall was moved to headline UFC on ESPN 28 on July 31, 2021. During his training camp in the build up to this fight, he got into a physical altercation with sparring partner Orlando Sanchez, who he accused of trying to injure him. Strickland defeated Hall via unanimous decision.

Strickland was scheduled to face former UFC Middleweight Champion Luke Rockhold on November 6, 2021, at UFC 268. However, on October 11, Rockhold withdrew due to a herniated disc.

2022

Strickland faced Jack Hermansson on February 5, 2022, at UFC Fight Night 200. He won the fight via split decision. 21 out of 21 media outlets scored the fight for Strickland. Judge Sal D'Amato, who scored the fight 48-47 for Hermansson, received widespread criticism for his scorecard.

Strickland was scheduled to face Alex Pereira on July 30, 2022, at UFC 277. However, the promotion moved the pairing to UFC 276 on July 2, 2022. Strickland lost the fight via knockout in the first round.

Strickland was scheduled to face Jared Cannonier on October 15, 2022, at UFC Fight Night 212. However, the bout was scrapped after Strickland withdrew due to a finger infection. The pair was re-booked for UFC Fight Night 216 on December 17, 2022. Strickland lost the fight via split decision.

2023 In a quick turnaround, Strickland faced Nassourdine Imavov, replacing Kelvin Gastelum in a light heavyweight bout on January 14, 2023, at UFC Fight Night: Strickland vs. Imavov. He won the fight via unanimous decision.

Strickland faced Abusupiyan Magomedov on July 1, 2023 at UFC on ESPN 48. Strickland won the fight via TKO in the second round. This win earned him the Performance of the Night award.

UFC Middleweight Championship Strickland faced Israel Adesanya for the UFC Middleweight Championship on September 10, 2023, at UFC 293. He won the fight via unanimous decision in what was considered a major upset, as Adesanya was a 7/1 betting favorite. The win also earned Strickland his third Performance of the Night bonus award.

2024 Strickland had his first title defense against Dricus du Plessis on January 20, 2024 at UFC 297. The pair were in attendance at UFC 296 on December 16, 2023, seated within two rows of each-other by Dana White's arrangement. While exchanging words, Strickland gestured for audience members to move and attacked du Plessis. The brawl was quickly broken up and Strickland was escorted out of the event. Strickland lost the fight via split decision. 13 out of 24 media outlets scored the bout for du Plessis. This fight earned him the Fight of the Night award.

Post championship Strickland faced Paulo Costa on June 1, 2024, at UFC 302. He won the fight by split decision. Twenty-four media outlets unanimously scored the fight in favor of Strickland.

2025 Strickland competed for the UFC Middleweight Championship in a rematch against the champion Dricus du Plessis on February 9, 2025, at UFC 312. He lost the fight by unanimous decision.

2026 Strickland faced former LFA Middleweight Champion Anthony Hernandez in the main event on February 21, 2026, at UFC Fight Night 267. He won the fight by technical knockout in the third round, ending Hernandez's eight‑fight win streak. This fight earned him a $100,000 Performance of the Night award.

Second title reign Strickland faced UFC Middleweight Champion Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 328 on May 9, 2026. He won the title via split decision, handing Chimaev his first loss in mixed martial arts. 11 out of 24 media outlets scored the bout for Strickland.

Fighting style Fighting in a notably upright, orthodox stance, Strickland is distinguished for his defensive striking. In the UFC’s official Significant Strike Defense statistic, he has a 60.9% defense rate—the highest among active fighters in the middleweight division.

UFC commentator Joe Rogan stated regarding Strickland’s defense, “He spars more than anybody in the UFC and they put a mouthpiece that measures how many times you get hit. He gets hit less than anyone [and] he’s got phenomenal defense.”

Central to Strickland’s defensive approach is his incorporation of the Philly Shell guard, referring to the positioning of the lead hand on the lower torso and the back hand closer to the side of the face. This allows Strickland to fight defensively by using the shoulder roll as well as parrying strikes and actively checking kicks.

Offensively, Strickland prefers to utilize his boxing within his fights. Strickland applies pressure by constantly walking forwards and forcing his opponents into boxing range, in which he then applies jabs often in volume and followed by a right cross.

Strickland generally applies his wrestling defensively to great effect, with a high takedown defense statistic of 68%. Strickland may pursue top position to engage in powerful ground and pound.

Strickland is agnostic. According to SPORTbible, "e has consistently sparked debates with remarks related to religion, race, gender, and sexual orientation, and is regarded as one of the most problematic figures in UFC history."

In October 2025, Strickland got married.

Strickland was an avid supporter of Donald Trump; however, in February 2025, Strickland questioned some of Trump's pro-Israel views and began wondering if it was a "mistake" re-electing him. On June 19, 2025, Strickland made a statement on Twitter, claiming that the alleged reason "Iran says death to [the United States]" is because of "how many countries we have bombed and invaded in the last 50 years?!" including past operations in Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Syria.

Controversial comments At the UFC 293 press conference in September 2023, Strickland "racially taunt[ed]" his opponent Israel Adesanya, who responded by calling him a "neo-Nazi". In November 2024, Strickland said that Chinese people were "animals" who were "loud and dirty like savages".

Ahead of UFC 312 in February 2025, Strickland went on an extensive racist tirade, including a reference to "dirty Palestinians" who should "bend the fucking knee" before the country is "turned into rubble" in the context of the Gaza genocide. Palestinian-American fighter Belal Muhammad, then-UFC Welterweight Champion, called him a "racist little clown".

In October 2025, Strickland used a racial slur while on a live stream with content creator Nina Drama. In February 2026, ahead of his bout with Anthony Hernandez at UFC Fight Night 267, Strickland posted an AI-generated image depicting himself in a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) uniform and Hernandez in a sombrero and poncho.

In January 2026, Strickland said he loves Australia because "everyone's all happy and white". He explained his belief in racial hierarchies, classifying Filipino and Thai people as "jungle tier" Asians and referring to Australians as the "white trash of the white folks", while berating Robert Whittaker for "getting beat by the fucking jungle people".

In April 2026, ahead of his bout with Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 328, Strickland called his opponent a "terrorist". He added: "If you come up to me with three fucking goat fucker Chechnyans that don't speak English, I'm going to pull my gun and I'm going to shoot each and every one of you."

In May 2026, Strickland repeatedly used a racial slur while providing commentary at Brand Risk 14, an amateur MMA event organized by Adin Ross, before calling out "a real sensitive black man" who took issue with it. He subsequently commented on Jewish people while alluding to Adolf Hitler. Despite the video's framing, Strickland further criticized US military spending and Donald Trump's polling numbers. He concluded the video by stating he might still attend the event to publicly express his views regarding Trump and Israel.

Comments on LGBT issues and women's rights In January 2022, Strickland responded to a question on Twitter, writing: "If I had a gay son I would think I failed as a man." During the press conference for UFC 297, Strickland responded to a reporter asking about his previous comments, as well as criticizing Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau's handling of the Canada convoy protest and Bud Light's advertising campaign featuring transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney.

On January 18, 2024 at UFC 297 media day, when a reporter mentioned Strickland's controversial tweet, Strickland responded: You're part of the big problem, a spineless creature who asks me stupid questions. Just ten years ago, being trans meant you were mentally ill, but people like you suddenly decided to change everything. You are an infection, you are the definition of weakness—everything wrong that happens to this world is because of you. The good thing is that the world didn't buy into this—it didn't buy into this nonsense and the agenda that you are pushing. There are two genders, and I don't want my children to be taught in school what their preferences should be. This guy is the fucking enemy! Look at the enemy of our world—here he is, sitting right here and asking his stupid questions.

Strickland has made a number of controversial comments about women and women's rights, one of which was calling the decision to grant women the right to vote an error. He has also commented negatively about women's MMA. In an interview, he said "Sure, have women's MMA, have it be a thing. I don't like to watch it. I don't think most people like to watch it. If the female MMA was to separate from the male MMA no-one's going to watch that shit".

Strickland reiterated these views in February 2026, stating that "no one gives a fuck about women's sports", before adding: "There's nothing wrong with women. They do great things. They cook, they clean." He asserted that "too much" empowerment of women has "ruined society".

Strickland was a harsh critic of the 2026 Super Bowl halftime show, calling its headliner, Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny, a "fucking faggot" and "a gay foreigner who doesn't speak fucking English". On August 21, Strickland received a six-month suspension from the NSAC and was fined $5,000. The suspension was retroactive from the time of the incident and expired on December 29, 2025.

Championships and accomplishments Ultimate Fighting Championship UFC Middleweight Championship (Two times, current) Fight of the Night (One time) Second most significant strikes landed in UFC history (2430) Most total strikes landed in UFC Middleweight division history (1799) Tied (Gleison Tibau) for second most split decision bouts in UFC history (7) (behind Clay Guida) Tied (Krzysztof Jotko & Brad Tavares) for most split decision wins in UFC Middleweight division history (3) Tied (Chris Leben & Jean Silva) for third fastest turnaround to win two fights (14 days in 2020) UFC Bout Records Middleweight Most significant strikes attempted (428) Third most significant strikes attempted (400) Most total strikes attempted (420) UFC.com Awards 2023: Ranked No. 4 Fighter of the Year & Ranked No. 2 Upset of the Year King of the Cage KOTC Middleweight Championship (One time) Five successful title defenses The Sporting News 2023 Men's Fighter of the Year 2023 Upset of the Year New York Post 2023 Upset of the Year MMA Junkie 2020 Comeback Fighter of the Year 2023 Male Fighter of the Year Sherdog 2020 Comeback Fighter of the Year World MMA Awards 2024 Upset of the Year vs. Israel Adesanya at UFC 293 MMA Fighting 2023 First Team MMA All-Star ESPN 2023 Most Improved Fighter Fight Matrix 2023 Most Improved Fighter of the Year 2023 Most Lopsided Upset of the Year 2023 Upset of the Year MMA Mania 2023 No. 4 Ranked Fighter of the Year Combat Press 2023 Male Fighter of the Year Cageside Press 2023 Male Fighter of the Year 2023 Upset of the Year

Mixed martial arts record Win

Khamzat Chimaev Decision (split) UFC 328

Newark, New Jersey, United States Win

Anthony Hernandez TKO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Strickland vs. Hernandez

Houston, Texas, United States Loss

Dricus du Plessis Decision (unanimous) UFC 312

Sydney, Australia Win

Paulo Costa Decision (split) UFC 302

Newark, New Jersey, United States Loss

Dricus du Plessis Decision (split) UFC 297

Toronto, Ontario, Canada Win

Israel Adesanya Decision (unanimous) UFC 293

Sydney, Australia Win

Abusupiyan Magomedov TKO (punches) UFC on ESPN: Strickland vs. Magomedov

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Win

Nassourdine Imavov Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Strickland vs. Imavov

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Loss

Jared Cannonier Decision (split) UFC Fight Night: Cannonier vs. Strickland

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Loss

Alex Pereira KO (punches) UFC 276

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Win

Jack Hermansson Decision (split) UFC Fight Night: Hermansson vs. Strickland

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Win

Uriah Hall Decision (unanimous) UFC on ESPN: Hall vs. Strickland

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Win

Krzysztof Jotko Decision (unanimous) UFC on ESPN: Reyes vs. Procházka

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Win

Brendan Allen TKO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Felder vs. dos Anjos

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Win

Jack Marshman Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Hall vs. Silva

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Win

Nordine Taleb TKO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Volkan vs. Smith

Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada Loss

Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos KO (spinning wheel kick and punches) UFC 224

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Win

Court McGee Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Poirier vs. Pettis

Norfolk, Virginia, United States Loss

Kamaru Usman Decision (unanimous) UFC 210

Buffalo, New York, United States Win

Tom Breese Decision (split) UFC 199

Inglewood, California, United States Win

Alex Garcia KO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Cowboy vs. Cowboy

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States Win

Igor Araújo Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Mir vs. Duffee

San Diego, California, United States Loss

Santiago Ponzinibbio Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Bigfoot vs. Mir

Porto Alegre, Brazil Win

Luke Barnatt Decision (split) UFC Fight Night: Muñoz vs. Mousasi

Berlin, Germany Win

Bubba McDaniel Submission (rear-naked choke) UFC 171

Dallas, Texas, United States Win

Matt Lagler TKO (punches) KOTC: Split Decision

Highland, California, United States Win

Yusuke Sakashita Decision (unanimous) KOTC: Worldwide

Manila, Philippines Win

Bill Albrecht KO (punch) KOTC: Restitution

Los Angeles, California, United States Win

Josh Bryant Decision (split) KOTC: Unification

Highland, California, United States Win

Brandon Hunt TKO (punches) KOTC: Hardcore

Highland, California, United States Win

Brandon Hunt TKO (punches) KOTC: Steel Curtain

Norman, Oklahoma, United States Win

Brett Sbardella KO (punches) KOTC: Demolition

Walker, Minnesota, United States Win

Donavin Hawkey Submission (rear-naked choke) KOTC: Platinum

Durban, South Africa Win

Adriel Montes TKO (punches) KOTC: Underground 63

Laughlin, Nevada, United States Win

George Interiano Decision (unanimous) Long Beach Fight Night 7

Long Beach, California, United States Win

William Wheeler Submission (rear-naked choke) KOTC: Jolted

Laughlin, Nevada, United States Win

Brandon Ellsworth TKO (punches) KOTC: Last Resort

Laughlin, Nevada, United States Win

Tyler Pottett Submission (rear-naked choke) KOTC: Protege

Laughlin, Nevada, United States

Pay-per-view bouts