Many MMA fans would agree that Sean Strickland might have been incarcerated had he not been an MMA fighter. The UFC middleweight champion had a hard childhood that set him down the path of violence and neo-Nazism. However, “Tarzan” thankfully found combat sports to channel his inner rage and emerge a champion. However, there is more to his personality than just a rowdy hothead.

Muhammad Ali’s grandson and PFL fighter Biaggio Ali Walsh joined Noah Lack, host of EssentiallySports FanCast, and shared his experience of being Strickland’s teammate. He narrated a story to illustrate what makes the American such a delight to train with.

Biaggio Ali Walsh lavishes praise on Sean Strickland

A pleasant surprise awaited the listeners of the EssentiallySports FanCast when Biaggio Ali Walsh was asked about Sean Strickland. He revealed that the American helps keep spirits up with his signature humor and motivates his Xtreme Couture gym teammates. The PFL fighter then revealed a particular incident that has stayed with the novice. “He’s just funny. Like he’s genuinely funny, and he’s such a good teammate, and he’s the hardest worker in the gym, and he just pushes everybody,” Walsh began.

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The 25-year-old then revealed that he once ran into the reigning UFC middleweight champion after a particularly rough sparring session. Strickland saw him and started bantering. “There was one day where I got the s**t kicked out of me and I had a black eye, a cut, all these marks; and Sean comes up to me like, ‘You got your a** whooped. You got your lunch money taken bro.’ And I was like, ‘Thanks Sean! That makes me feel good,'” Walsh told Lack in his Exclusive Interview with EssentiallySports.

However, Strickland was quick to follow it up with a sagacious advice. Walsh revealed, “After the criticism, he was like, ‘Hey man, you’re still an amateur and you’re sparring with dudes who are veterans, who have so much experience, and you’re doing everything right, just keep doing what you’re doing.”

Though Strickland might just be the perfect teammate, he remains the unpredictable rabble-rouser that fans love. His latest shenanigans at UFC 296 are a testament to that.

Strickland jumps Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 296

In a shocking turn of events, Sean Strickland had dominated Israel Adesanya for five rounds to become the middleweight champion at UFC 293. He is set to defend his title for the first time against #1 ranked Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 297 in January 2024. And their bout has become a grudge match after their recent brawl.

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The two were seated near each other at UFC’s last PPV event of 2023—the UFC 296—and the South African could be seen on camera talking trash to “Tarzan.” This prompted the latter to jump on Du Plessis and hit him with a flurry of punches as the contender held on to his waist before Dana White and the security team could separate them. Now, the fans are even more excited to see the two go at each other on the Toronto card next month.

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