Sean Strickland hasn’t fought in nearly a year.
That’s an unusual layoff for the former UFC Middleweight champion, who is typically quite active and fights multiple times per year. A suspension over summer
probably didn’t help get him booked, and Strickland’s last appearance was a title rematch versus Dricus du Plessis at UFC 312 in February 2025. Though their first bout was very competitive, the rematch was rather one-sided, as “DDP” won every round and also shattered the veteran’s nose late in the fight.
Unfortunately, that may not have been Strickland at his best, as he recently revealed the he suffered a major shoulder injury just before accepting the rematch. Why fight hurt? Strickland felt pressured to compete by the UFC, as the promotion doesn’t take kindly to turned down offers.
“Before the [Dricus du Plessis] fight, I was f—king riding with Axell Hodges and I broke my shoulder,” Strickland told Jon Bernard. “So I was in Columbia getting stem cells in my shoulder and they hit me up for the fight. The thing with the UFC, you don’t say no, they’re our pimps. You don’t say no to the master. I was back up into a corner taking that fight.
“Taking this time off and letting my body heal has been amazing. The shoulder feels f—king great. I do miss fighting and performing, but it’s been nice to be a fat, lazy piece of s—t for a while.”
Lately, UFC title matchups are booked as much by convenience as merit. Cards need headliners, and that means worthy contenders can easily be passed up if they’re unavailable on a specific date. In the case of Strickland, his title opportunity easily could have been handed over to Khamzat Chimaev if he didn’t jump at the opportunity last February.
For his sake, however, I hope infamous online hater “DDP” doesn’t see these comments.
Just about a year after his second loss to the South African, Strickland will make his Octagon return opposite No. 4-ranked middleweight contender Anthony Hernandez atop the UFC Houston fight card on Feb. 21 in Texas. “Tarzan” is a minor betting underdog against “Fluffy,” but a victory could put him right back into title contention and finally set up his grudge match with the Chechen champion.
To see who else is fighting at UFC Houston click here.
