Sean
Strickland doesn’t hesitate when it comes to making off-color
comments, whether it’s critiquing his own performance, owning up to
his love for adult films or sharing some of his darker aspirations
in the cage.
Strickland earned his fifth consecutive win in the UFC on ESPN 28
headliner, taking a clear-cut decision over Uriah Hall at
the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday night. In the process,
Strickland set a middleweight record with 186 significant strikes
landed. It’s a milestone that doesn’t impress the 30-year-old Team
Quest member.
“I need to learn how to hit harder,” Strickland said at the
post-fight press conference. “I kind of hit like a pansy. I kind of
sucked. They’re like, ‘You know you won the middleweight striking
record.’ I’m like, ‘What does that mean? That means I can’t hit
that hard.’”
Despite his recent run of success, Strickland isn’t dwelling on
thoughts of climbing to the top of the middleweight division. He’s
more interested in the financial rewards that accompany a
prizefighting career.
“It is what it is,” Strickland said. “I’ve been training for so
long. There’s always going to be another killer. It is what it is.
I’ll fight somebody again in the next few months. I might win. I
might get knocked out. I just like making money. If I go somewhere
with it, great, if not. What did Derrick
Lewis say? What was his last quote about if you let me run the
division, you guys should all retire? I love Derrick
Lewis. He’s the man. I’m just happy to be here.”
Though Strickland has a ways to go before he reaches a certain
level of stardom, don’t expect him to get caught up in the
trappings of fame if he reaches that point. He points to his
Saturday opponent as a prime example of how the media can
manufacture a star and then discard them in a relatively short
period of time.
“You should never enjoy fame because it’s fake. It’s f–ing fake.
There was a point where Uriah Hall
was in every interview, every media [member was saying] ‘Uriah Hall!’
And now it’s like he’s on the twilight of his career, he’s getting
older. It’s like it’s just bulls–t. I like you guys all, but it’s
all bulls–t. You guys know this.”
Strickland also admits that he doesn’t follow the sport much as a
fan, so picking an upcoming opponent might prove to be a little bit
difficult.
“I know like two fighters in the division,” Strickland said.
“Brad
Tavares because we train together and Israel
Adesanya. I don’t really watch fights. I just like to do
it.”
That was far from the only quotable material put forth by
Strickland. In his Octagon interview, Strickland claimed that he’d
“probably end up cooking meth in a trailer” if it weren’t for the
UFC before later admitting that he’s never used drugs.
Additionally, Strickland professed a love for pornography during
Saturday’s post-fight press conference. The comments that might
raise the most eyebrows, however, came when Strickland jokingly
shared his aspirations in the cage toward the end of the
presser.
“If you like to f—ing hurt people, you’re in the right sport,”
Strickland said. “I would love nothing more than to kill somebody
in the ring. Nothing more. It would make me super happy.
“I would own that s–t, too. I don’t know if it would make me
liable, I might have to say I’m sorry if the cops came, but I would
own that s–t. Own it. Be a psychopath, it’s f—ng fun!”
While those remarks appeared to be tongue-in-cheek, it’s his
willingness to speak in such a manner that makes it unlikely that
he’ll receive a strong marketing push from the promotion.
“I’m probably the last person they want as the champion,”
Strickland admitted. “‘So Sean what do you think about the UFC?’ I
mean it’s cool, they pay me well, it’s cool. I’m the last one they
probably want to be the champion.”