Orlando Sanchez appears to admit he tried to injure UFC star Sean Strickland in training on purpose
Orlando Sanchez has cleared the air on his scuffle with UFC star Sean Strickland.
According to the renowned jiu-jitsu black belt, Strickland made scornful remarks about him moments before they started grappling.
Sanchez noted that the video that Strickland uploaded to his Instagram was trimmed, which didn't include the comments he made, suggesting that the UFC middleweight was trying to push a narrative.
In a recent interview with FloGrappling, Sanchez justified the maneuver he tried during his grappling session with Strickland.
The 39-year-old insinuated that Strickland's comments forced him to execute a move which he believes was a "quick little submission" attempt.
"He started talking more s**t about jiu-jitsu and then he came over and he's like 'what do you do, wrestle or you're a jiu-jitsu guy?'. And before I even say anything, he goes 'regardless of who you are or what you've done, I'm still going to beat the f**k out of you'. These exact words. I was like 'who the f**k is he talking to? Is he talking to me?'.
"And still at this point, it didn't bother me. And then after that, the coach was like 'Orlando, come on, do it. Go grapple with him one time'. So that's where the video started," said Sanchez.
Contrary to what many people believe, Sanchez also clarified that he is not Sean Strickland's training partner.
The two coincidentally bumped into each other at the RVCA gym and decided to grapple.
Sean Strickland has a fight coming up against Uriah Hall
Sean Strickland reacted furiously to Orlando Sanchez's "submission" attempt because he is expected to challenge Uriah Hall next month. 'Tarzan' said Sanchez could have injured his arm, potentially endangering his spot on the July 31 card.
Strickland is currently on a four-fight winning streak. He joined the UFC in 2014 and has racked up a commendable 10-3 record in the promotion.
His last fight took place at UFC on ESPN: Reyes vs. Prochazka, where he cruised past Krzysztof Jotko.
Currently, Sean Strickland is ranked eleventh in the UFC middleweight rankings.