"Super-friendly guys" - When Sean Strickland explained his U-turn on Islam after awkward gym encounter on Joe Rogan’s podcast

Following his TKO victory over Abusupiyan Magomedov on July 2023, Sean Strickland appeared on Joe Rogan's podcast where 'Tarzan' shared why he toned down his criticism towards the religion of Islam.

Strickland had already built a reputation as one of the most controversial fighters on the UFC roster. However, his friendship with Xtreme Couture teammate Albert Duraev led to him changing how he talked about Islam.

On JRE MMA Show #143, Strickland shared the story of how Duraev approached him at the gym to talk about the matter. 'Tarzan' initially thought the Russian fighter wanted to teach him about wrestling but quickly realized that was not the case due to his serious tone.

Strickland recalled:

"He puts his hand on my leg. Muslims, dude, are super touchy feels, man. So f**king weird, man. Like, f**king... Super-friendly guys. Super f**king friendly. It's so odd, especially because of religion. So he's like, 'Sean, Sean, Sean, in my country, I cannot be friends with you.'"

When Strickland enquired why this was the case, Duraev replied it was due to Strickland's criticism of Islam. 'Tarzan' said:

"I'm like, 'What are you f**king talking about?' He's like, 'You say things, you say things about Islam.' Pretty much saying that he cannot be friends with me because of what I say about Islam."

Strickland went on to state that he was a sellout for succumbing to pressure but Joe Rogan assured him that one should pick their fights.

Check out Sean Strickland's comments below (1:30:45):

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Sean Strickland's coach explains why he criticized 'Tarzan' publicly

In his last fight at UFC 312, Sean Strickland lost to Dricus du Plessis via unanimous decision. Soon after the loss, Strickland's coach Eric Nicksick appeared on the Ariel Helwani Show and criticized 'Tarzan' for not following his advice during the fight.

The former middleweight champion responded via social media, hinting that Nicksick won't likely be in his corner anymore. In a recent interview with Sean O'Malley's coach Tim Welch, Nicksick revealed the thought process behind publicly criticizing Strickland.

"Sean has always been vocal about other fighters, other coaches, through the media. So, in a lot of ways, in my mind, I was like, Well, I'm going to kind of give him a little bit of a taste of his own medicine in a way. But I was being respectful," Nicksick said.

The 45-year-old pointed out that Strickland didn't fight to his full potential at UFC 312 and stated that no one in their right mind could say otherwise.

Check out Eric Nicksick's comments below (34:49):