Midnight Mania! ‘Mentally Unwell’ Strickland Admits Struggles, Violent Thoughts

Bringing you the weird and wild from the world of MMA each and every weeknight!

Welcome to Midnight Mania!

Sean Strickland is a complicated figure in mixed martial arts.

Much of the time, the former champion is unapologetic and abrasive. He’s lashed out against individual people and groups of people, at times without any provocation. These traits alone have earned him a certain fan base, but on the flip side, Strickland has also been open about his mental health struggles and traumatic childhood. That’s valuable in a sport where many are dealing with similar issues, yet relatively few are talking about it.

Earlier on Monday, Strickland filmed an update on his mental health for his Instagram, admitting to struggling and feeling “like I’m a danger to people.” He went into detail on “always fighting the demons” and how his success and wealth haven’t fixed the issues.

“All week I’ve been f—ked up, dude,” Strickland began (via MMA Junkie). “I’ve been on the Twitter saying crazy s—t, just f—king spiraling. I woke up and I told my girl, I was like, ‘Babe, I feel like I’m a danger to people. Like I don’t feel like I should be out in the world.’ And I think that – I have everything. I’m rich, I’m famous, I have everything I ever f—king wanted and I am still mentally unwell. I get in these mindsets to where like I want to burn everything down in the world. Like, I want to have nothing, so I can just f—king lose it and just take out everything on people.

“I think that you guys, in a weird way, are like my family. Like I’ve shared some s—t with you guys, and you guys have shared some s—t with me. I feel more connected with my fans than I think most people feel just because we’ve gone through a lot together. I have everything I want, and I still struggle with mental health. My memory is so short that, like, when I go out into this week, I think to myself, like once I get past it, I think to myself, like, ‘Oh, man. That was a really rough time in my life.’ But then when I really think about it, this happens multiple times a month, every month.”

Strickland did conclude his post on a slightly more positive note, doubling down the important of having a physical outlet in training and hoping the best for his fans with similar struggles.

“Again, I don’t know why I’m telling you guys this. I’ve just been kind of going through some sh*t. I’m fine. I’ll be fine. I’m going to go train right now and try to hurt all of my friends, and all of the demons will go away. I just want you guys to know that I have everything I could ever want in the world, and I still struggle. So, whatever you guys are going through man, hope y’all feel better. Go to the gym, train. F—king wish you all the best.”

Sean Strickland’s last appearance in the Octagon came at UFC 297, when he lost a split-decision and his title to Dricus Du Plessis (watch here). Since then, Strickland has requested an instant rematch, but it remains uncertain how the Middleweight division will shake out. It’s still unknown when Strickland will return to action and against whom.

Hopefully, Strickland is in a better place mentally when it’s time to compete again.

Insomnia

IT HAPPENED AGAIN IT HAPPENED AGAIN IT HAPPENED AGAIN!

Anyone got a prediction of Bellator’s possible new streaming partner? New player in the game is interesting …

I don’t know if it was the intent, but this video made me laugh out loud.

This should be a fun grappling match at 115 lbs.

Insanely strong people are really tough to deal with on the mats with just a bit of aptitude and direction. Immovable object!

Fight fans demand blood!

The delusion runs deep in the Marlon Vera camp.

Slips, rips, and KO clips

“The Gun” still firing! At 41 years of age, Diego Nunes is winning fights and a regional belt.

11 minutes of knockout footage! Pancrase just realized all the knockouts in their promotion from last year.

Buggy chokes are such a silly way to win (or lose) a fight.

Random Land

Assuming one per row: 3B6H. Debate!

Midnight Music: New wave, 1978

Sleep well Maniacs! More martial arts madness is always on the way.