The Nevada State Athletic Commission may have benched him, but Sean Strickland is not sitting idle. The former middleweight champion has now taken his skills to help out an old rival-turned-friend. ‘Tarzan’ was spotted in Alex Pereira’s corner as the light-heavyweight star prepares for his upcoming clash at UFC 320!

Fate can be funny in MMA. One day you’re trading leather, the next you’re drilling techniques together. But how did Strickland, serving a suspension back home, end up sparring with ‘Poatan’ in Connecticut?

Recently, an Instagram video by the Ride Shotgun page showed the two men hard at work together at UFC legend Glover Teixeira‘s gym, as the caption indicated, “Sean Strickland drops in today to train with Alex Pereira & Team Teixeira MMA.” The attached video showed the unlikely duo grinding through partnered crunches and smashing the heavy bag side by side.

Strickland himself chimed in under the post with a comment, joking, “Not gonna lie there was a little too much drilling today for my simple cave man mind hahaha but tomorrow is a long day of fighting lol.” And during the video, in his trademark manner, he looked across the cage at the towering Brazilian knockout artist and confessed, “Sparring a giant human being man, trying not to get too much brain damage.”

It was half-joke, half-truth. Because if anyone can test your chin in practice, it’s Alex Pereira. After all, Strickland is currently dealing with a six-month suspension from the NSAC due to his involvement in a brawl at a Tuff-N-UFF MMA event back in June. He stormed the cage and attacked MMA fighter Luis Hernandez after his fighter, Miles Hunsinger, was submitted by Luis Hernandez.

‘Tarzan’ was then taunted by Hernandez, which led to him and Chris Curtis entering the cage and throwing a few punches at Hernandez. With the suspension reportedly lasting until late December, Strickland is free to train but not to compete. As such, instead of sulking, he’s turned downtime into something useful, sharpening Alex Pereira’s weapons while staying sharp himself.

Despite their violent past, as he got knocked out by the Brazilian at UFC 276, Strickland and Pereira have forged an unlikely bond since then. In fact, ‘Poatan’ was even in his corner for his middleweight title clashes with Dricus Du Plessis. Now, Pereira has a brutal rematch ahead with Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 320.

The first fight ended with Ankalaev snatching the light heavyweight crown by decision, outlanding Pereira across five rounds despite failing on 12 takedown attempts. For the Brazilian, the second chapter demands a different script, and maybe adding Sean Strickland to his camp is a way to shore up the gaps in his game. But what happens after UFC 320? Will ‘Poatan’ stay at light heavyweight or is another move up in weight looming for the 38-year-old?

Alex Pereira is locked in on UFC 320 but confesses “heavyweight” move possible in the future

The rematch with Magomed Ankalaev might be Pereira’s immediate concern, but the bigger question lingers. How long can he realistically stay at light heavyweight? At 38, the weight cut is no small task. Could a move to heavyweight be his final answer to the grind of cutting down?

In a recent interview with Ariel Helwani, Pereira gave fans a glimpse into his mindset as he stated, “No, there was absolutely none (consideration to move up to heavyweight before this fight), I took a break, training hard, training heavy, gained some muscle and size and focused on this.”

He’s clearly locked in on UFC 320. Yet his next sentence offered the clearest window into what comes after as ‘Poatan’ further confessed, “I’m gonna listen to my body. Eventually when it gets harder for me to get to light heavyweight, I’m gonna go to heavyweight.”

Pereira’s size has always set him apart. From middleweight to light heavyweight, he’s carried power across divisions. At heavyweight, the danger he brings could be even more destructive. As such, the stage is set for UFC 320, but the story stretches beyond the cage. Alex Pereira must first face the puzzle of Ankalaev, yet the whispers of a heavyweight run are growing louder.

Meanwhile, Sean Strickland has found purpose in exile, sharpening Pereira’s game while keeping himself battle-ready. It’s a partnership born from chaos, yet one that could shape both men’s futures!