Fighters come with "a lot of baggage" - Former UFC star and 'Big' John McCarthy react to Sean Strickland breaking down while discussing late father

Sean Strickland uncharacteristically broke down on episode #476 of comedian Theo Von's This Past Weekend podcast while discussing his troubled childhood. Now, a UFC veteran and 'Big' John McCarthy have come out in support of the fighter.

Speaking about the incident on the WEIGHING IN podcast, the former MMA referee argued that despite the UFC middleweight champion's polarizing persona, he too has emotional limits, like other people:

"People need to understand, you know. They look at someone like Sean Strickland, and they go, 'Ah, he is a fighter, he is a dead head, he just, you know, says what he wants.' He has feelings."

McCarthy's co-host, Josh Thomson, also chimed in, claiming that most fighters harbor emotional baggage from their troubled times:

"Fighters are people, we know that, but there is a lot that comes along with them. A lot of baggage."

Catch John McCarthy and Josh Thomson's comments below:

The former Strikeforce lightweight champion added that he also deals with issues from his past, and those are what enabled him to train as hard as he did.

Strickland is never one to bite his tongue in any situation. He is one of the most frequent trash talkers in the UFC, and a fight against him takes a toll on his opponents' psyche as well as their bodies.

However, during the UFC 2024 seasonal press conference, Dricus du Plessis drew an angry reaction from 'Tarzan' when the South African used Stirckland's abusive childhood to put him down.

During the This Past Weekend podcast, it became apparent just how much the unpleasantries at the presser affected him.

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Sean Strickland talks about intrusive thoughts

During the podcast with Theo Von, Sean Strickland revealed that he had intrusive thoughts after being silenced and stunned by Dricus du Plessis at the UFC 2024 Seasonal Press conference.

Talking about the unpleasant experience, 'Tarzan' revealed that he wanted to physically harm his opponent after the South African dragged his turbulent past into the conversation:

"There are some things that were off-limits. You don't really talk about a man's wife, you don't talk about a man's kids, and you don't talk about a f*****g kid being abused. These things were all off limits, and dude, once he crossed that... and I'm like, alright f**k this guy... You have that little voice in your head like, 'Kill this man.'"

Catch Sean Strickland's comments below (21:39):