Tag: Sean Strickland

Fighter of the Year – LowKick MMA 2023 Awards

LowKick MMA Awards 2023 Fighter of the Year Sean Strickland2023 brought with it a multitude of standout performances from some of the most unlikeliest of sources — in…

LowKick MMA Awards 2023 Fighter of the Year Sean Strickland

2023 brought with it a multitude of standout performances from some of the most unlikeliest of sources — in some of the biggest and high-profile fights of the annum, from the likes of middleweight champion, Sean Strickland, welterweight maestro, Leon Edwards, and pound-for-pound star, Islam Makhachev.

However. amid a list of nominations long and varying issues by the staff here at LowKick MMA — the outspoken Sean Strickland has emerged far and ahead as the consensus Fighter of the Year for 2023.

Fighter of the Year – Sean Strickland – UFC – 3-0-0 (4 votes)

Rebounding from a tumultuous 2022 year which included a two-fight losing skid to former title challenger, Jared Cannonier, and two-weight champion, last year’s Fighter of the Year award winner, Alex Pereira — the often-outspoken Strickland turned in a year to remember, including one of the biggest upsets in recent Octagon memory in the final quarter of the year.

Snapping his two-fight skid with a unanimous decision win over the highly-touted, Nassourdine Imavov at the beginning of the year in a short-notice light heavyweight clash, Strickland would seize the opportunity of a first title challenger with a knockout win over Abusupiysan Magomedov.

And shocking the collective mixed martial arts community back in September, Strickland, on would-be hostile terrritory against Oceanic striker, Israel Adesanya — landed a unanimous shutout decision win over the City Kickboxing staple, clinching the promotion’s undisputed middleweight crown.

Booked to make his return in a heated title fight defense against the surging, Dricus du Plessis at UFC 297 at the turn of the year in ‘The Great White North’, Strickland takes the Fighter of the Year award under the LowKick MMA banner this annum.

Honorable Mentions –

Leon Edwards – UFC – 2-0-0 (3 votes)

Rounding off a championship-laden year for himself earlier this month, undisputed welterweight kingpin, Leon Edwards recorded two straight victories by way of decision this year — laying waste to the division’s constant and always challenging guard.

Closing out his trilogy with a rubber match against former pound-for-pound king, Kamaru Usman at UFC 286 back in March on home soil in the UK, Birmingham technician, Edwards landed a majority decision win over the Auchi native — having snatched the throne in August of last year with a immortal high-kick rallying knockout success.

And earlier this month, in a brutal grudge match with former interim champion, Colby Covington, Edwards landed a one-sided unanimous decision win over the aging Clovis challenger, who failed to mount any real significant output offensively.

Islam Makhachev – UFC – 2-0-0 (1 vote)

Closing out his series of fights with undisptued featherweight champion, Alexander Volkanovski back in October, pound-for-pound number one, Islam Makhachev did so in certain style — showing off his sriking arsenal with a spectacular opening round high-kick KO in the pair’s lightweight title rematch.

The victory followed a prior February back-and-forth with the New South Wales star, in which Makhachev edged a close and egregious decision win on enemy territory.

Dricus du Plessis – UFC – 2-0-0 (1 vote)

Ahead of his championship siege in January against award winner, Strickland, South African challenger, Dricus du Plessis has enjoyed an unbeaten 2-0 run in the UFC this year — continuing in his perfect-promotional winning vein.

Landing on the most impactful victory in what seems likes years in the middleweight ranks, after a TKO stoppage of recent PFL debutante, Derek Brunson, in July, du Plessis landed a stunning second round knockout win over former undisputed middleweight champion and ever-present top-contender, Robert Whittaker, earning him a shot at Strickland’s title belt.

Full list of the LowKick MMA 2023 Fighter of the Year votes:

Ross Markey: Sean Strickland

Ian Shutts: Islam Makhachev

Murdo Todd: Leon Edwards

Craig Pekios: Leon Edwards

Makoa Goble: Sean Strickland

Tony King: Leon Edwards

Red Pill MMA: Dricus du Plessis

Michael Owens: Sean Strickland

Danny Podolsky: Sean Strickland

Video – UFC star Sean Strickland tosses ‘Piece of fabric’ Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt into garbage bin

Sean Strickland throws Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt into garbage bin ahead of UFC 297Undisputed middleweight champion, Sean Strickland claims he trained for more than 10 years to obtain a black belt in…

Sean Strickland throws Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt into garbage bin ahead of UFC 297

Undisputed middleweight champion, Sean Strickland claims he trained for more than 10 years to obtain a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu – and the UFC star has tossed said belt and accolade into the garbage ahead of his return to the Octagon next year. 

Strickland, the current undisputed middleweight champion, has been sidelined since he struck gold in a spectacular upset win over former two-time champion, Israel Adesanya back in September at UFC 293 in a unanimous decision victory for the American fighter.

Booked to make his return to the Octagon at UFC 297 next month in Canada, Strickland headlines the promotion’s return to ‘The Great White North’ – taking on surging incoming title chaser, Dricus du Plessis in a grudge match between the duo.

Featuring on fighter row at UFC 296 earlier this month, the hugely-outspoken Strickland leapt between seats and over Gilbert Burns’ young son to pursue du Plessis, attacking the Pretoria challenger ahead of the pair’s title fight in January.

Sean Strickland throws BJJ black belt in the bin

And on his official social media, Strickland, who rarely relies on his wrestling – offensively, at least, nor his often-overlooked Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu grappling game, tossed his black belt into a garbage bin.

“Over 10 years of my life wanting a piece of fabric,” Sean Strickland posted on his official X account tonight. 

Turning in a memorable 2023 ahead of the annum’s end, Strickland landed three consecutive victories this year – including September’s spectacular decision win over City Kickboxing champion, Adesanya, handing the Nigerian-Kiwi his second title fight loss in the space of a year, resulting in an unwanted record-setting display from the striking sensation. 

Who wins at UFC 297 next month: Sean Strickland or Dricus du Plessis?

Henry Cejudo rips Sean Strickland for emotional outburst amid UFC 296 brawl: ‘He’s somewhat of a crybaby’

Henry Cejudo rips Sean Strickland for emotional outburst after UFC 296 he's a crybabyFormer two-division Octagon gold holder, Henry Cejudo has labelled undisputed middleweight kingpin, Sean Strickland a “crybaby” – in reaction…

Henry Cejudo rips Sean Strickland for emotional outburst after UFC 296 he's a crybaby

Former two-division Octagon gold holder, Henry Cejudo has labelled undisputed middleweight kingpin, Sean Strickland a “crybaby” – in reaction to the latter’s emotional outburst and melee with incoming title challenger and foe, Dricus du Plessis in the crowd at UFC 296 last weekend.

Cejudo, a former undisputed flyweight champion and bantamweight gold under the banner of the promotion, as well as an Olympic gold medalist, made his return from a three-year retirement back in May.

Challenging for divisional spoils, Los Angeles-born contender, Cejudo suffered a close, split decision loss to former champion, Aljamain Sterling in the pair’s title affair.

Booked to make his return to the Octagon at UFC 298 in Anaheim, California, taking on surging bantamweight challenger, Merab Dvalishvili in a potential championship eliminator.

Henry Cejudo labels Sean Strickland a “crybaby”

And sharing his thoughts on Strickland’s brawl on fighter row with du Plessis ahead of the pair’s UFC 297 title showdown in Canada, Cejudo donned Strickland a “crybaby” for his emotional outburst.

“[Sean Strickland] likes to talk about other people, he likes to talk about other people’s wives,” Henry Cejudo said on his YouTube channel. “But when somebody brings up something about his past and with his dad, all of a sudden he’s crying. So, as cool as Sean Strickland could be – and the funny things that he could be, he’s also somewhat of a crybaby.”

“I was a fan, but the fact now that he’s really bringing it to the fists – like fighting outside of an actual Octagon – let’s me know that hte dude is just frickin’ emotional…” Henry Cejudo explained. “And now when they say something about you when you were a kid, and all this other sh*t, now you get p*ssed off and you’re the first one throwing blows. You know what that is? That’s a b*tch move.” 

Sean Strickland Reveals Theo Von offered to delete the footage of his emotional podcast appearance

Sean StricklandSean Strickland has been on quite the rollercoaster over the last several days. The reigning UFC middleweight made headlines…

Sean Strickland

Sean Strickland has been on quite the rollercoaster over the last several days.

The reigning UFC middleweight made headlines over the weekend when he got into a full-blown fistfight with No. 2 ranked contender Dricus Du Plessis at the promotion’s final pay-per-view of the year. The chaotic scene felt particularly on-brand for Sean Strickland, a fighter known to say and do pretty much anything he wants no matter the consequence.

However, Strickland’s motivation for the attack came as a surprise to everyone.

24 hours before their scuffle inside T-Mobile Arena, Strickland and Du Plessis engaged in a heated verbal confrontation at the UFC Seasonal Press Conference. It was there that ‘Stillknocks’ made an unsavory crack about Strickland’s history of growing up with an abusive father. Strickland lambasted Du Plessis on social media, showing that there are lines that even he won’t cross.

In the days since, Sean Strickland revealed that he had recently appeared on an episode of Theo Von’s popular podcast, This Past Weekend where the two had an incredibly emotional conversation about the champ’s childhood trauma.

Sean Strickland offers preview of his emotional podcast appearance

The episode is yet to be released, but Strickland shared a screenshot from his appearance and revealed that Von had offered to delete the footage after they delved into the very serious subject matter.

“PTSD can make a strong man weak or a weak man strong,” Strickland wrote on X. “Years and years of abuse just changes you as a man.. The hate just doesn’t go away. The sad truth is I’m one of millions but I only matter because there is a camera in my face… Most people just suffer in silence and drown their demons in alcohol or drugs.

“Theo thanks for saying you’d delete the video for me.. I wanted you to, hell still kinda do but at the end of the day.. it’s life….

Sean Strickland has quickly become one of the most polarizing figures in all of combat sports, known best for his often hilarious, yet sometimes vile hot takes on a variety of topics. In September, ‘Tarzan’ earned the respect of fight fans following his picture-perfect performance against Israel Adesanya to claim the middleweight title.

He will put his strap on the line for the first time at UFC 297 when the promotion returns to Toronto, Canada. Meeting him in the middle of the cage will be South African knockout artist and the man he threw hands with on Saturday (December 16), Dricus Du Plessis.

Robert Whittaker calls bluff on Strickland – du Plessis brawl at UFC 296: ‘I thought it was staged, mate’

Robert Whittaker calls bluff on Strickland - du Plessis brawl at UFC 296 it looked fake mateFormer undisputed middleweight champion, Robert Whittaker has claimed he believes last weekend’s violent scuffle between defending divisional champion, Sean…

Robert Whittaker calls bluff on Strickland - du Plessis brawl at UFC 296 it looked fake mate

Former undisputed middleweight champion, Robert Whittaker has claimed he believes last weekend’s violent scuffle between defending divisional champion, Sean Strickland and former foe, Dircus du Plessis was “staged” – as the pair prepare for a grudge match at UFC 297 next month.

Whittaker, the current number three ranked middleweight contender, has been sidelined since he featured at UFC 290 back in July of this year during International Fight Week, suffering a surprising second round loss to incoming title challenger, du Plessis – succumbing to second round strikes in a TKO defeat.

As for Strickland and du Plessis, the duo faced off at a heated press conference on Friday in Las Vegas ahead of next month’s title fight in Canada, with the latter boldly reminding Strickland of the admitted child abuse and physical abuse he was the victim of at the hands of his late father. 

Seated just two rows apart at UFC 296 over the weekend on fighter row, Strickland and Pretoria native, du Plessis engaged in a violetn scuffle in the crowd, with the defending middleweight champion removed from the arena as a result. 

Robert Whittaker doubts legitimacy of UFC 296 brawl

Again goading Strickland following the incident, du Plessis mocked the finishing rate of the brash champion, however, the above-mentioned, Robert Whittaker believes the brawl between the two was orchestrated and staged.

“I thought it was staged, mate, honestly,” Robert Whittaker said on the MMArcade Podcast. “Because it was weird, it was weird the way it happened. You saw the way (Sean) Strickladn was like, ‘Move aside, please.’ Makes sense, but then he jumps in WWE style. The way he was punching, the way he kind of like, I don’t know, fake punching to the back of Dricus (du Plessis).”

“Maybe it was just for entertainment, and which case, you can’t really give him anything for it. I don’t know. It’s a bit silly. He’s the champ.” 

Also sharing his thoughts on the skirmish between his two rivals, ex-two-time champion, Adesanya claimed he was all for the brawl, praising Strickland for landing what he described as a “sucker punch”. 

Sean Strickland ready to go on ‘All Vegan Diet’ after exploring his sensitive side during recent podcast

Sean StricklandReigning UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland is ready to make some major life changes after an emotional appearance on…

Sean Strickland

Reigning UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland is ready to make some major life changes after an emotional appearance on comedian Theo Von’s podcast.

‘Tarzan’ had a pretty busy weekend, picking fights with Sean O’Malley and Dricus Du Plessis at the UFC Seasonal Press Conference on Friday before getting into a full-blown fistfight with the latter while sitting in the crowd at UFC 296 in Las Vegas.

Sean Strickland hasn’t said much of the incident with ‘Stillknocks’ at T-Mobile Arena, but he made it pretty clear that his sudden attack on the No. 2 ranked contender was in retaliation for some over-the-line comments the South African made regarding Strickland’s abusive childhood.

From what it sounds like, that can of worms was busted open during Strickland’s appearance on Theo Von’s popular podcast, This Past Weekend. The episode has not yet been released, but ‘Tarzan’ offered a little tease, letting fans know that his towering walls came crashing down during their conversation.

“So I did a podcast with Theo… goddamn wall broke a little bit, allergies started to act up,” Strickland wrote. “It wasn’t my finest moment… damn demons lol Idk what to do now… I think I need to go buy an iPhone and a tesla, adopt a cat, all vegan diet… maybe start f*cking dudes IDK.. LMAO”

“It was bad,” he said on a follow-up post. “That little b*tch cry, you know the one were you prep talk yourself the whole time in your head… “stop it you p*ssy” “what the f*ck is wrong with you” “man up” lmao Think I almost bit a hole through my lip trying to stop haha…“

Sean Strickland and Dricus Du Plessis Get Their World Title Fight Started Early

Known for his often hilarious and sometimes vile hot takes on a variety of topics, Sean Strickland recently revealed that there are lines even he won’t cross. On Friday, he delivered a scathing response to Colby Covington’s disgusting comments about Leon Edwards’ father before lambasting both Sean O’Malley and Dricus Du Plessis for using his traumatic childhood against him during their verbal confrontations.

24 hours later, Strickland decided to exact some revenge after someone foolishly decided to sit him and Dricus Du Plessis within reach of one another at the promotion’s final pay-per-view of the year.

Sean Strickland and Dricus Du Plessis are scheduled to headline UFC 297 in January when the promotion returns to Toronto. It will be Strickland’s first time defending the 185-pound crown since scoring a stunning unanimous decision victory over two-time titleholder Israel Adesanya in September.