Sean Strickland is on cloud nine.
The new Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Middleweight champion, Strickland, shocked the world at UFC 293 this past weekend (Sept. 9, 2023). Strickland’s unanimous decision victory over Israel Adesanya (watch highlights) made him the 13th titleholder in the division’s history, extending his current winning streak to three.
Supremely active throughout his career, “Tarzan’s” fought five times since July 2022 but now finds himself celebrating his big win after suffering some scrapes and bruises.
“What’s up, guys?” Strickland said in the Instagram video embedded above. “I had to take a forced vacation to let the stitches come out of my foot. But anyways, man, it’s f—king weird. I’ve always been kind of pseudo-famous, but now everywhere I go, someone recognizes me. Even today it happened three or four times. Somebody asked me for a picture and apologized for asking me for a picture.
“At the end of the day, guys, I don’t have a f—king job, I don’t lay concrete, I’m not a f—king mechanic, I’m just a guy that hits people,” he continued. “So, I am so f—king grateful that you guys watch me because my life, my bike, everything I f—king have is because you guys f—king watch me, man. So, it’s not an inconvenience and I am so f—king grateful for you guys allowing me to have a good f—king life.”
Strickland’s rough background has been well-documented on his rise through the 185-pound ranks. In 2021, the Anaheim, California native revealed he was a neo-Nazi during his youth. In other instances, the now-champion has discussed the rough upbringing he had dealing with his abusive alcoholic father. Strickland nearly lost his life in late 2018 in a motorcycle accident, leading to his departure from the Welterweight ranks.