"You run from me" - Sean Strickland issues menacing response to David Goggins' "Hell Week" challenge
An unforeseen feud between Sean Strickland and American ultramarathon runner David Goggins has captured the attention of the MMA community. The former UFC middleweight champion recently responded to the challenge issued by Goggins in classic Strickland style.
Strickland, who trains at the Xtreme Couture facility in Las Vegas, challenged Goggins to a 15-minute spar. The American motivational speaker accepted the challenge under the condition that the sparring session should be well-documented. He said:
"This is your opportunity to show that you can f**k me up. I will have camera crews out there [and] you make sure that you bring your camera crews out there. A 49-year-old broke down fu**ed up knee, fu**ed up body guy is gonna put you through a camp."
Strickland responded to Goggin's callout with an Instagram video. He said:
“Goggins, I heard you want a piece. Challenge accepted. Just so you know man, the only thing you beat me at in life is f**king running. But guess what, I don’t have to f**king run. You run for me.”
Check out Strickland's video below:
Strickland also claimed that he was simply "occupying time while waiting for a title shot." 'Tarzan' is single-minded in his pursuit for the middleweight title shot next, dismissing the idea of a fight against top-ranked contender Robert Whittaker completely. According to Strickland, he'd rather wait out to see how the fight between Dricus du Plessis and Israel Adesanya at UFC 305 pans out and lobby for a title shot after that.
Sean Strickland dismisses the idea of Robert Whittaker getting a title shot before him
The only fight that excites Sean Strickland at this juncture of his career is a title shot for the middleweight throne.
The American bounced back from dropping his crown to Dricus du Plessis at UFC 297 with a split decision win over Paulo Costa at UFC 302. Meanwhile, fellow top-ranked contender Robert Whittaker has been gunning for a title shot by mounting victories over Costa and Ikram Aliskerov.
The widespread sentiment in the MMA community is that the UFC should book a fight between the two divisional stalwarts to determine the next challenger for the middleweight throne. However, Strickland has dismissed that notion and the idea of Whittaker leapfrogging his claim to fight for the championship. He took to X and wrote:
"The thought that Whittaker gets a title shot before me is fu**ing wild.. Bro, you're 0-3...... With a stoppage, lol… I beat both those c*nts lol..... Do rankings matter?! Do the right thing UFC..”
Check out Strickland's tweet below: