“World doesn't need to know” - Ex-UFC champ shares words of advice for Sean Strickland and Alexander Volkanovski
A former UFC champion has recently counseled Sean Strickland and Alexander Volkanovski to exercise emotional control while speaking on public platforms.
The UFC middleweight champion is well-known as one of the most polarizing figures in the MMA community. Apart from his prowess in the octagon, Strickland is notorious for making provocative and controversial statements.
Strickland continued to exhibit this kind of behavior at the UFC 2024 seasonal press conference last month, when he targeted his upcoming opponent Dricus du Plessis and mocked his relationship with his coach. However, the South African fighter flipped the script on Strickland, responding in a similar manner by recounting the traumatic aspects of Strickland's relationship with his abusive father.
Check out the back-and-forth between Sean Strickland and Dricus du Plessis below:
The middleweight champion has disclosed various challenging experiences from his childhood, and has recently acknowledged that remarks similar to those made by du Plessis were both disturbing and off-limits.
Meanwhile, after his loss in a rematch with Islam Makhachev at UFC 294 last October, the featherweight champion revealed he had been struggling with mental health challenges.
Check out Alexander Volkanovski's comments below (2:00-6:00):
During a recent video on his YouTube channel, former two-division UFC champion Henry Cejudo offered some advice to Strickland on controlling his emotions:
"I hope you [Strickland] can come to the consensus to be able to accept the fact that you’re in this game, bro. Learn how to play, don’t be [mocks crying]. You can’t, man." [7:25 onwards]
Cejudo expressed similar thoughts for Volkanovski as well:
"It’s the same with Volkanovski. Volkanovski is showing his cards that he goes through anxiety if he doesn’t fight. Like, bro, like what the f**k. Keep some of that sh*t to yourself. The world doesn’t need to know." [7:40 onwards]
Check out Henry Cejudo's comments below:
Sean Strickland tears up recounting childhood abuse memories
Sean Strickland has shared details on his difficult upbringing that was marked by the influence of his abusive father. The 185-pound champion has revealed the distressing elements of his childhood on various occasions.
During a recent episode of Theo Von's This Past Weekend podcast, Strickland became emotional when recalling a distressing memory of his father threatening to physically harm both him and his mother. He said:
"He was on drugs, lots of drugs... I remember I used to sit there and just hug my mom's leg in the kitchen. We had this little nook, and she would go there, and I would just sit there all night long, by the feet of my mom, and my dad [would go] like, 'I'm going to f**king kill you'... I'll never forget, he would talk about burning her face with acid and, mind you, I'm in elementary school."
Check out Sean Strickland's comments below: