Sean Thomas Strickland[6] (born February 27, 1991) is an American professional mixed martial artist.

[7] Sean Strickland grew up in Corona, California, in a household with a physically and mentally abusive father.

[8][2] During Strickland’s early childhood, he attacked his father with a guitar in an attempt to defend his mother.

Strickland fled from his house and contacted his local law enforcement leading to his father being briefly arrested.

[9] In Strickland’s adolescence, he developed a close relationship with his grandfather who held neo-Nazi ideologies.

[10] Strickland recalled that he was expelled from school in the ninth grade for perpetrating a hate crime, after which his mother decided to take him to an MMA gym.

[12] Strickland made his professional debut in 2008 for the King of the Cage promotion and compiled an undefeated record of 9–0 before facing Josh Bryant in a fight for the King of the Cage Middleweight Championship at KOTC: Unification on December 9, 2012.

Strickland won via split decision, and then successfully defended his title three times before being signed by the UFC.

[18] Strickland faced Santiago Ponzinibbio in a welterweight bout on February 22, 2015, at UFC Fight Night 61.

After the fight it was revealed there was an error in calculating the judges' scorecards and Strickland was declared the winner by unanimous decision.

[38] Returning from a two-year layoff after a motorcycle accident,[39] Strickland was scheduled to face Wellington Turman on October 31, 2020, at UFC Fight Night 181.

[44] As a result of Ian Heinisch contracting COVID-19,[45] 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.

[52] 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.

[59] Judge Sal D'Amato, who scored the fight 48-47 for Hermansson, received widespread criticism for his scorecard.

[63] Strickland was scheduled to face Jared Cannonier on October 15, 2022, at UFC Fight Night 212.

[73] He won the fight via unanimous decision in what was considered a major upset, as Adesanya was a 7/1 betting favorite.

[77] The pair were in attendance at UFC 296 on December 16, 2023, seated within two rows of each-other by Dana White's arrangement.

[78] While exchanging words, Strickland gestured for audience members to move and attacked du Plessis.

[89] Fighting in a notably upright, orthodox stance,[90] Sean Strickland is distinguished for his defensive striking.

He gets hit less than anyone [and] he’s got phenomenal defense.” [92] 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.

[94] His defensive stance largely prevents him from generating power and he has only finished two fights by knockout since moving to middleweight full-time in 2020.

[96] In December 2018, Strickland was hit by a car while he was riding a motorcycle in Los Angeles, rendering him unconscious.

[98] However, in February 2025, Strickland questioned some of Trump's pro-Israel views and began wondering if it was a "mistake" re-electing him.

[99] In January 2022, Strickland responded to a question on Twitter, "If I had a gay son I would think I failed as a man.

"[100] During the press conference for UFC 297, Strickland responded to a reporter asking about his previous comments, also criticizing Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's handling of the Canada convoy protest and Bud Light's advertising campaign featuring transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney.

Just ten years ago, being trans meant you were mentally ill, but people like you suddenly decided to change everything.