Who is Sean Strickland? Nationality, height, weight, UFC career record and stats

Sean Strickland comes into his bout with South Africa’s Dricus Du Plessis in UFC 297 as a slight underdog, which is perhaps surprising. As the current UFC Middleweight Champion and former King of the Cage Middleweight Champion, Strickland ranks number eight in the UFC men’s pound-for-pound rankings.

Born on February 27, 1991, in Anaheim, California, Strickland stands at 6 feet 1 inch and weighs 185 pounds. His combination of skill and tenacity has made him a firm fan favorite in the octagon.

Strickland’s journey in the UFC began in 2014, and since then, he has built an impressive career record of 28-5 with 11 KOs. His striking prowess and well-rounded skill set has seen him through some of the toughest competitors in the middleweight division, culminating with a stunning win in Australia last September when he got a unanimous decision over legendary champion Israel Adesanya.

Throughout his UFC career, Strickland has demonstrated resilience and adaptability, evolving as a fighter with each bout. His commitment to improvement and his ability to overcome adversity have endeared him to the MMA community.

While Strickland and Du Plessis both had a momentary set-to in the press conference, cooler heads have prevailed with both men walking back any talk of grudges, both admitting admiration for the other.

“He’s a good dude,” says Strickland said of Du Plessis, while the South African challenger added, “From my side, there’s no bad blood at all. I have a lot of respect for Sean as a fighter and even as a person.”

But both are professionals and are there simply to get the other man out of their way. As they both said multiple times, it is just business.