UFC middleweight fighter Sean Strickland posted video footage of a hard sparring session between himself and an individual who'd purportedly called him out on social media. The individual in question is a professional boxer named Denis Douglin, who competes in the super middleweight (168 lbs) division.
As confirmed by Strickland, neither fighter was knocked out. However, it was 'Tarzan' who appeared to get the better of Douglin, who was the smaller fighter. Both fighters also talked trash against each other during the session, with Strickland yelling multiple cuss words at Douglin. At one point, he yelled:
"Let that b***h go!"
Watch Strickland's sparring and trash talk in the video below:
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Notorious for going all out in some of his sparring sessions, Sean Strickland (25-4 MMA) posted an Instagram video of him sparring with Denis Douglin. Additionally, he claimed that they buried the hatchet and that the proceeds from his sparring session with 'Momma's Boy' would be donated to charity. Strickland wrote:
"Well this is the first time I've ever donated to charity.. Gotta say the best 100 I've ever spent.. @mitch_aguiar when you coming??? I got a bell for you to ring lmao @mommasboy_denis thank you for the therapy session!!!!"
Similarly, Denis Douglin (23-8 boxing) also put forth an Instagram post showing his respect for Sean Strickland. The post was accompanied by a screenshot of his online chat with 'Tarzan.' Douglin wrote:
"I honestly respect this man. Honest, transparent and does not give a f**k. He picked me because I was smaller. I picked him because he was bigger. Who you support says a lot about you! CHECK my story for my response #boxing #BullyTheBully #Lose2Win #itsBiggerThanMe #igGotYallFooled #TeamMommasBoy #IsThisYourKing #MyFansAreInteresting #HaveAGoodDay"
Jamahal Hill gives his prediction for Sean Strickland's pivotal middleweight fight against Jared Cannonier
Sean Strickland will face Jared Cannonier in a middleweight matchup at the upcoming UFC Fight Night event on December 17. The winner will likely re-enter the UFC middleweight title picture.
Strickland suffered a first-round KO loss in his No.1-contender's fight against Alex Pereira in July earlier this year, with Pereira subsequently winning the middleweight belt by beating Israel Adesanya last weekend.
In an edition of MMA Pros Pick with James Lynch, UFC light heavyweight Jamahal Hill picked Jared Cannonier to beat Sean Strickland. Cannonier himself lost a lopsided unanimous decision to Adesanya in their title matchup in July.
Nevertheless, the 31-year-old striking savant foresees 'The Killa Gorilla' defeating Strickland. Lauding Cannonier's offensive striking and criticizing 'Tarzan's striking defense, Hill stated:
"I might have to go Cannonier, to be honest with you. Right off [of my] first thought, just because of how Sean comes in, how square he does, he takes every shot [and] Jared's powerful and those fu**ing leg kicks are nasty."
Watch Hill's assessment below: