UFC Fight Night 217: Fighter gives a hilarious reason for competing at light heavyweight

UFC Fight Night 217 had a last-minute change in the main event after Kelvin Gastelum was forced to pull out due to injury. No.7 ranked middleweight contender Sean Strickland will now face Nassourdine Imavov.

But with Strickland having fought less than a month ago in the final event of 2022, he was enjoying some post-fight celebrations. Because of that, the bout will take place at light heavyweight instead of middleweight.

'Tarzan' was recently interviewed by The Schmo about his upcoming bout, during which he was asked why the bout will be contested at 205 pounds rather than a catchweight closer to middleweight.

Strickland said:

"When you guys see the physique of cookies and pizza for the last three weeks, it would have been really hard for me to make 195 pounds. I'm about 215-plus right now."

Watch Strickland's comments below:

Sean Strickland faced Jared Cannonier in the main event of UFC Fight Night 216, which took place on December 17. But the short layoff did not discourage Strickland, who was happy to take the opportunity to get paid.

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Sean Strickland blasts UFC judges over loss to Jared Cannonier

Sean Strickland was on the losing end of a close decision against Jared Cannonier. Two judges scored the contest 49-46 for Cannonier, whilst the other scored the bout 49-46 for Strickland. 'Tarzan' outstruck his opponent in four of the five rounds, but was unable to get the nod.

Strickland was visibly upset at the announcement of the result. In a recent interview with The Schmo, he took aim the judges who went against him that night.

He said the following:

"Judges are idiots. What you guys saw was a Mayweather style of fighting. I didn't get f***ing hit, I got a scratch on my nose. There's so much perfection in that and you've got stupid f***ing judges. I don't even know what they do, probably not watch the fights. They don't know what the f**k they're doing."

Watch the interview below:

Strickland's complaints followed on from arguably the most controversial decision in 2022, when Paddy Pimblett was awarded the victory over Jared Gordon at UFC 282 via unanimous decision.

Gordon entered the bout as the underdog, but in the eyes of many, was able to dominate at least two of the three. MMA personalities such as Joe Rogan have stated that Gordon won the fight, as well as fighters like Nate Diaz.

With the first event of the UFC calendar taking place this weekend, only time will tell if the debate surrounding MMA judges will get louder or softer.