Former UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland couldn’t contain his enthusiasm for the intense USA vs Canada ice hockey game that took place on Saturday night at the Bell Centre in Montreal.
The 4 Nations Face-Off match garnered viral attention when three separate physical exchanges occurred within the first nine seconds of play. Before the game even began, the atmosphere was electric as more than 21,000 spectators filled the arena, with Canadian fans expressing their disapproval during the American national anthem.
UFC Hall of Famer Georges St-Pierre received a thunderous ovation when introducing Team Canada. The energy continued to build as NHL stars, including J.T. Miller and Colton Parayko, engaged in intense exchanges.
Strickland, who recently competed at UFC 312, shared his thoughts on social media platform X: “I love me some hockey,” while watching Miller’s exchange with Parayko.
The action began immediately after the puck drop when Matthew Tkachuk of Team USA and Brandon Hagel of Team Canada removed their gloves. Brady Tkachuk then followed his brother’s lead in an exchange with Canada’s Sam Bennett of the Florida Panthers. The third incident involved New York Rangers forward Miller and St. Louis Blues alternate captain Parayko.
The hockey spectacle came just after Strickland’s recent bout against South African champion Dricus Du Plessis in Sydney, Australia. Du Plessis retained his title via unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 49-46) after breaking Strickland’s nose in the fourth round.
Despite the loss, Strickland managed to break Michael Bisping’s record for most significant strikes in UFC middleweight history. Following the match, he addressed his future relationship with trainer Eric Nicksick.
“I like Eric,” Strickland explained. “He’s a friend of mine. He’s going to continue to be a friend of mine. Will he probably be in my corner? Probably not…that entire camp was just a struggle. We all have excuses as to why we didn’t win, or why we won or we shouldn’t have won. We all f***ing have excuses, and they don’t f***ing matter.”
