Sean Strickland gets emotional discussing his passion for MMA
Sean Strickland had a tough life before making the transition into MMA, and during a recent interview, the middleweight got emotional while confessing his love for the sport.
Despite arguably rising to fame within the past couple of years, the UFC competitor has been in the promotion for close to a decade, having made his octagon debut back in the first quarter of 2014. Juggling time in two weight divisions, the 31-year-old has seemingly settled into life as a 185er.
While sitting down to discuss his dark childhood, Sean Strickland reminisced on his younger days and what it felt like for him when he was first venturing into the world of mixed martial arts.
"I will say that it [my upbringing] was a little bit more extreme to me. You've got the alcoholic father, it was very difficult for me to fit into social settings, as you can tell. Thank god. For me, that's why I love MMA. There was no other outlet for me besides MMA... My first day of training, I was probably like 14 [or] 15, I got the sh** kicked out of me. I was young, I was sparring with pros and I was like, 'Man, I'm happy, I know what this feels like.'... I've never felt that before, you know. I mean, even thinking about it makes me emotional... There is something inside me that's craving to hurt somebody, badly."
The misunderstood middleweight tends to say the wrong thing when put in front of a microphone, but the controversy that surrounds him has helped him gain a dedicated UFC fanbase.
Check out what Sean Strickland had to say about his passion for MMA in the video below.
How good is Sean Strickland?
Although his 25-4 record should speak for itself, here are some of the biggest moments from the veteran's career that arguably prove he was born to compete in the UFC.
His last outing against Alex Pereira, which could have earned him his first shot at UFC gold, was less than impressive and ended in the brawler being knocked out, but that was his first-ever loss in 21 fights in the 185lb division.
Throughout his time in the UFC, Strickland has managed to claim wins over Uriah Hall, Brendan Allen, Krzysztof Jotko, Tom Breese, Court McGee, and the current top 10-ranked middleweight Jack Hermansson.
weeks! 2️⃣ weeks! 2️⃣ wins!
Strickland 2.0 has emerged at the UFC APEX!
[ Action continues on #ESPNPlus ] https://t.co/g1grRfWEQL