Sean Strickland gives a humble reaction to being awarded 'Fighter of the Year' by media outlet

2023 has been an exceptionally significant year for Sean Strickland and it's hardly a surprise that the UFC middleweight champion has been handed the 2023 'Male Fighter of the Year' award by MMA Junkie.

In December 2022, Strickland was on a dismal two-fight losing streak. He got knocked out in the first round by former 185-pound king Alex Pereira at UFC 276 and then lost a split decision against Jared Cannonier at UFC Vegas 66.

Despite his less-than-impressive run, 'Tarzan' turned his fortunes around in January 2023. He first beat Nassourdine Imavov via unanimous decision at UFC Vegas 67 and then secured a second-round knockout over Abus Magomedov at UFC Vegas 78 in July.

Sean Strickland then capitalized on Dricus du Plessis pulling out of his middleweight title opportunity against Israel Adesanya due to an injury and faced the Nigerian-born Kiwi at UFC 293 in September.

Despite most counting him out before the fight, 'Tarzan' put on an incredible performance. He surprisingly dominated Adesanya over five rounds to win the middleweight title via a unanimous decision victory.

Given that Sean Strickland won the 185-pound championship and is riding a three-fight win streak, it's unsurprising that he won MMA Junkie's 'Male Fighter of the Year' award. In a recent clip uploaded to X, Strickland can be seen receiving the lofty prize. Keeping his reaction as humble as possible, he said:

"The talent must be low this year. Thank you guys, man. I appreciate that... Every day, don't be a pu**y. Some days, we all do act like pu**ies, but all we can do is try not to."

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Chael Sonnen believes Sean Strickland is only a couple of wins away from becoming a "top 3 star"

Chael Sonnen has high hopes for Sean Strickland and recently stated that 'Tarzan' could touch the pinnacle of MMA stardom. The former UFC contender broke down the reigning UFC middleweight champion's raw personality and suggested his success in the octagon helped justify his unfiltered statements.

Strickland is notoriously known for being among the most outspoken fighters in MMA and rarely filters his opinions. While some consider his manner of speaking crass and uncouth, many love his bluntness and believe it helps sell his fights.

In a recent video uploaded to YouTube, Chael Sonnen discussed his meteoric rise to fame and said:

"He [Strickland] was on the fence to being canceled. He was right on his way to being canceled, and he won... All of a sudden, it changed. All those weird things he was saying started to be interesting things, they started to be cool things... It's fascinating, Sean Strickland is only one or two wins away from being a top three star."

Catch Chael Sonnen's comments below (27:31):