5 Defining Moments: Sean Strickland

Order Now! UFC 302 "Makhachev vs. Poirier" Saturday at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+

Sean Strickland claims to be “ready to die” in his bid to overcome Paulo Costa in a match he previews as a “bloodbath.”

The former Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight titleholder has become one of the most polarizing figures in the sport. Renowned for his penchant for generating controversy, the discourse surrounding the self-styled hero of the American proletariat is frequently punctuated by his inflammatory remarks and old-fashioned mentality. From homophobic slurs and political jabs to his confrontational demeanor, Strickland has stayed true to his unapologetic self across the board. “Tarzan” dropped the 185-pound championship to Dricus Du Plessis in their UFC 297 encounter.

Now, Strickland has been tasked with battling Paulo Costa in the UFC 302 co-headliner this Saturday at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. In Costa, many believe that Strickland may have found his match in terms of verbal fencing and a dance partner for a classic mano-a-mano brawl. With that backdrop, a look at five of the many defining moments that have shaped Strickland’s career:

1. A Gilded Triumph

Strickland turned professional in March 2008 and began competing under the King of the Cage banner. He made his pro debut against Tyler Pottett and passed the test with a rear-naked choke submission win in the second round. Having amassed a 7-0 record in the organization, “Tarzan” challenged Brandon Hunt for the KOTC middleweight championship. He won the bout by TKO in the first round and defended his throne four times before signing with the UFC. He surfed on the tides of an undefeated 13-0 dominant run with 10 finishes before competing for the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization.

2. Memorable Debut

On March 15, 2014 at UFC 171, Strickland locked horns with Bubba McDaniel—a 28-fight veteran at that point. Strickland made an impression right off the bat in his first Octagon assignment, defending McDaniel’s takedown attempt with great proficiency while working towards one of his own. He smothered his opponent with heavy ground-and-pound, using his pressure to break McDaniel. Eventually, he was able to capitalize once McDaniel gave up his back and cinched a deep rear-naked choke for the finish in the first round.

Order Now! UFC 302 "Makhachev vs. Poirier" Saturday at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+

3. Trail of Triumphs

Between October 2018 and February 2022, Strickland basked in his ultimate victory lap in the Las Vegas-based promotion. He rattled off six winss, starting with a technical knockout of Nordine Taleb at UFC Fight Night 138. Some of his most notable victories included a TKO if Brendan Allen that propelled him into the middleweight title conversation. Strickland followed up his up win over Jack Marshman 14 days earlier with a resounding performance against Allen, which remains the third-fastest turnaround to win two fights. In his main event assignment, Strickland overwhelmed Uriah Hall and dominated his adversary from start to finish. He connected with 186 significant strikes, the second-most in a single UFC middleweight fight, on his way to a unanimous decision.

4. Sealed by Fate

Strickland’s run in 2023 was the culmination of flashes of brilliance to a dominant stretch that led to championship glory. He replaced Kelvin Gastelum and took on Nassourdine Imavov in a light heavyweight bout at UFC Fight Night 217. The American carried the first and only two-fight losing skid of his career going into the clash against Imavov. He won by unanimous decision and doubled down the effort with a TKO victory over Abusupiyan Magomedov. Strickland pulled off an impressive win against a surging contender in Magomedov, stifling his foe with pressure and smothering him with volume striking. A little over two months later, he was granted the opportunity to fight for the middleweight throne when Du Plessis could not make a quick turnaround against Israel Adesanya in Sydney.

5. Self-Styled People’s Champ

Strickland was a sizeable underdog going into the UFC 293 title fight against Adesanya. Nevertheless, the American outclassed and outworked Adesanya through five high-paced rounds, landing the most telling blows. He dropped his rival late in the first round, setting the tone for his challenge. From there, it was all Strickland despite Adesanya showing flashes of his brilliance while operating from a distance. However, Strickland kept applying pressure, forced Adesanya to pedal back and parried his opponent’s strikes with crisp combinations of his own. Adesanya simply could not find the target and Strickland kept connecting with force in spurts while pressuring up until the final bell. The fight went the distance, and Strickland earned a clean sweep with 49-46 unanimous scoring from the judges.