Former UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland has once again found himself in the center of gym-related controversy. This time, it’s Luke Rockhold who sheds light on Strickland’s disruptive behavior during a prior visit to RVCA in Costa Mesa.
In a recent interview on the JAXXON Podcast, Rockhold didn’t hold back. According to him, Strickland is the type of individual who remains unfazed by the consequences of his actions.
Rockhold remarked: “He’s just that guy that doesn’t care. He’ll try to kill you. Sean Strickland walked into RVCA one time and he was such a loud mouth idiot, I was like, ‘Who the f*** is this guy?’ I was so hungover, so annoyed, I was like, ‘F***, I’m going to get in a spar with this guy, I can’t even take it.’ But I had seen him… he hurt a guy in the gym. He hurt him with a head kick.”
The story takes a more alarming turn as Rockhold discloses an incident where Strickland’s aggressive approach resulted in a gym member getting hurt.
Rockhold further criticized Strickland’s lack of sportsmanship during sparring sessions, citing an instance where Strickland chose not to show restraint.
He stated: “With like 30 seconds left, he wobbled him. And [the coach] was like, ‘Keep going, finish out the round.’ Instead of what most people would do which is try to work with him — especially when you’re on somebody else’s turf — Sean went straight back to that head kick and tried to knock him out multiple times. There’s 30 seconds left in the round, the kid’s done, show yourself as a f****** man and try to finish the round rather than just go back to the well and knock him out.”
Strickland’s penchant for aggression extends beyond the gym, as Rockhold reveals, “Strickland once bragged about breaking ‘multiple noses’ during sparring.”
Rockhold was scheduled to face Strickland at UFC 268 but got injured before the match.
Now 39 years old, Rockhold decided to part ways with the UFC after experiencing three consecutive losses. Seeking a new challenge, he ventured into bare-knuckle boxing, only to face a brutal outcome — his teeth shattered to pieces.
In contrast, Strickland recently faced a setback in his recent UFC appearance at UFC 297. He ended up losing via split decision to Dricus Du Plessis.