Strickland shocked and wrote an incredible story! A rough childhood, mental health problems and neo-Nazism. He shouldn’t even be fighting for the title, now he’s the new king of the UFC

History was made in Sydney. Israel Adesanya lost the title again, sensationally beaten by Sean Strickland after probably the best performance of his career. The American fighter has an incredible story behind him, and he only got the title because there was virtually no other option.

UFC 293 offered a main event in which the re-crowned champion Israel Adesanya and the not-so-popular Sean Strickland fought for the middleweight title. But would the UFC itself be interested in such a fight? Not really.

Adesanya himself said that Strickland only got the fight because the titleholder himself asked for it. In his words , the UFC considers the American slugger as someone who would not represent the organization in a good light as a champion because of his views.

These claims are basically confirmed by overseas journalists who said Strickland was the last option. Or rather, the only reason he should have been given the chance, according to the respected Ariel Helwani, was because the UFC had virtually no other options left.

Overall, Strickland didn’t enjoy any confidence outside of not being very popular. He was hugely underrated. He was written off by fans, bookies, pundits. It was not believed he could win.

But he did. Adesanya hadn’t found the recipe for him, the American fighter style didn’t suit him and he didn’t like it. He struggled for five rounds and in the last five minutes his frustration was evident. Strickland also sent the champion down in the first round.

The duel ended on points. All the judges agreed that Strickland won fairly clearly and the UFC has a new champion, but they’re not exactly thrilled with him. He’s got an incredible story behind him.

Strickland has been through hell in his life

The new middleweight king can be said to be quite a character. Many people may not find him likeable, and his views that women shouldn’t work but should look after the home are not to everyone’s liking, but nevertheless, you have to give him a big hug.

To this day, Sean Strickland considers himself to be a “white trash”, which also expresses a certain opinion. However, he fights his demons, of which there are not a few, more than adequately. The way he is now is admirable considering all he’s been through in his life.

His father was both a tyrant and an alcoholic. He tortured his mother mentally and physically. He had to confront him several times as a child. He never disclosed the names of his parents, only that his father had already died of cancer.

“I remember that I often slept in my mother’s room because I was afraid that my father would kill my mother. I thought I would wake up and she would be dead. During one night he attacked her and the only thing I could find at the time was a guitar, so I hit him in the head with it,” Strickland recalled of his terrifying childhood on The MMA Hour.

While Strickland survived the traumatic childhood, it left lasting scars on his mental health. Because of this, he also went through a phase in his life where he considered himself a neo-Nazi. He looked up to his grandfather, who was an avowed racist.

He was expelled from school because of that. “You’re in seventh grade, you’re spouting Nazi sh** and you don’t even realize it because you don’t know what it means,” he said of this episode in his life.

Thanks to MMA, he’s facing his demons

In the traditional UFC Countdown video that comes out before UFC tournaments, Sean Strickland stated that he didn’t end up in jail thanks to MMA. He said he saw relief in racism because with how much anger he was bottling up, it was easy to hate someone for no reason.

When he was 18, he dropped out of high school and began his journey as a fighter. He moved away from his father with his mother. However, this was preceded by another one of many conflicts where he broke his father’s nose and the situation was handled by the police.

But now, at 32, he has achieved his dream. He has managed to dominate the sport he loves, which helps him overcome his demons and feel good, in the best organization on the planet. He defeated one of the most dominant champions in UFC history, and with a record of 28-5, he is the new king of the middleweight division.

Because of this, he cannot be denied success. You don’t have to agree with his views, but you should definitely respect the path he has walked. He’s not perfect, but he’s fought adversity as best he can.

Source: The MMA Hour, UFC, Sports Manor