Sean Strickland is booked for a big fight in a week. Set to lock horns against Anthony Hernandez in the main event of UFC Fight Night 267 in Houston, this victory might just put ‘Tarzan’ back in title contention.

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Strickland is coming off a loss against Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 312. He lost his belt to DDP at UFC 297 before defeating Paulo Costa to get another shot at the belt. But as he prepares for a showdown in the octagon, the most significant fight on his mind might be the one against retirement itself.

Sean Strickland opens up on career longevity as Houston fight looms

“I mean Volk just won, what is Volk, 37, 38? I love fighting. It’s kind of hard. Like, what would I do? I’m turning 35, and I would say I have three years in me, and that’s a lot of f*** fights,” he said ESPN during one of his training sessions.

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Strickland is turning 35 on the 27th of February, right after his fight in Houston. Strickland then also added that he is secure financially and can call for retirement at his own will. “I could probably retire now if I wanted to. I’m smart with my finances, but what do you do all day? Just wake up?”

While many top athletes don’t plan future, Strickland seems different. But the reason to wake up every day is something that he yearns for. And, this sure is not the first instance we have heard fighters talking about retirement and seeing them fight for years after that. Retired fighters too often come to the octagon; the perseverance is such. In a sport where identity and purpose are tightly intertwined, stepping away is rarely as simple as it sounds.

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Sean Strickland questions Khamzat Chimaev’s title reign in fiery rant

Retirement talk may be creeping closer for Sean Strickland as he moves through his mid-30s, but that hasn’t stopped him from taking verbal shots at inactive champion Khamzat Chimaev. When the outspoken middleweight looks at current champion Khamzat Chimaev, he doesn’t see an active champion. He sees someone denying defending it.

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Proma Chatterjee

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Proma Chatterjee is a combat sports writer at EssentiallySports, covering the latest developments across MMA, boxing, and submission grappling. Recruited through the ES Journalistic Enrolment and Training Program, she brings a year of sports reporting experience and a sharp eye for extracting meaningful insights from post-fight interviews, weigh-ins, and media scrums. Her coverage blends fight analysis with narrative-driven angles that give fans a deeper understanding of athletes, styles, and rivalries. Beyond journalism, Proma is a national-level Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu athlete and aspiring MMA fighter. Her firsthand experience in combat sports informs her writing, allowing her to break down techniques, mindset, and preparation with authenticity. The discipline and resilience developed on the mats translate seamlessly into her newsroom work.

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Aatreyi Sarkar