NFL Star Maxx Crosby on Sparring Session with ‘Maniac’ Sean Strickland

National Football League defensive end Maxx Crosby recently got to
spar with
Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight king Sean
Strickland (28-5) for three rounds.

Crosby is a longtime fight fan and as a two-time Pro Bowl defensive
end for the Las Vegas Raiders, enjoys the proximity to the UFC’s
home base, where is one of the more regular celebrity faces in
attendance for pay-per-view cards. When the NFL wanted to film some
footage of him sparring, Crosby decided to call up his friend and
newly crowned middleweight champion Strickland, who is notorious
for happily sparring with partners of any size or experience level.
According to Crosby, who shared his experience in a recent appearance on “The Pat McAfee
Show,” he and Strickland went toe-to-toe for three three-minute
rounds without headgear or mouthpieces.

“We do this whole thing, have a whole camera crew in there, no
mouthpiece, no head guard, nothing,” Crosby said. “We did three
three-minute rounds and we were banging. My nose was messed up for
two weeks straight, but we were cracking. I have all the footage
and everything. It was a real fight; we were out there
swinging.”

While Crosby claims to have scored some hits during the session,
the NFL superstar was humble enough to admit that the UFC champ got
the better of him overall. He added:

“Obviously he got the better of me, he’s a UFC world champion,”
Crosby said. “I definitely landed some check hooks, I will say
that, and the fact that I landed some, I gave him a little cut on
his lip, I was proud of it. That guy is a maniac.”