Where Sean Strickland goes, chaos follows! This was truly on display when the former middleweight champ, alongside teammate Chris Curtis, punched a fighter named Luis Hernandez at Tuff-N-Uff 145 in late June. The fallout was immediate! ‘Tarzan’ was slapped with a six-month suspension by the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC). For the fans, the timing couldn’t have been worse. Strickland hasn’t fought since his loss to Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 312 in February. As a result of the chaos, his long-awaited comeback has been pushed back even further now. However, fans breathed a sigh of relief when the fan-favorite fighter agreed to enroll in an anger management program. That move would shorten his suspension to 4.5 months, clearing him for a November return.

Wasting no time, Strickland quickly set his sights on December, posting on X: “December … Vegas … Get me on that card! My suspension will be up in November.” But that’s not where the story ends. In an interview with Helen Yee, the former 185-pound kingpin even floated Belal Muhammad as a possible opponent. That’s very intriguing for sure! But is that really the only option for Strickland’s comeback? Not really. In fact, there are several blockbuster matchups waiting to welcome ‘Tarzan’ back into the Octagon.

A Sean Strickland vs Israel Adesanya rematch sounds interesting

Sean Strickland shocked the world at UFC 293. He defeated middleweight legend Israel Adesanya in front of a packed Australian crowd at the Qudos Bank Arena and lifted the gold against all odds. And that victory didn’t come with a boring performance either. ‘Tarzan’ dropped the UFC’s most gifted striker in the very first round and went on to land 137 significant strikes compared to Adesanya’s 94. That stellar performance earned 46-49 across the judges’ scorecard, as Strickland made history!

However, it wouldn’t be a stretch to say that both fighters have hit a decline in their careers after that fight. Strickland’s last two setbacks came against former champion Dricus du Plessis (at UFC 297 and UFC 321). With a lackluster win against Paulo Costa at UFC 302 in between. Meanwhile, ‘The Last Stylebender’ suffered back-to-back defeats, first to Du Plessis at UFC 305 and then to Nassourdine Imavov in UFC Saudi Arabia, taking his losing tally to three!

So, at this point, both fighters desperately need a big win to stay relevant in the middleweight title picture. Interestingly, Adesanya—who was on the receiving end of a beating at UFC 293—has called out Strickland multiple times in recent weeks. On his Freestylebender YouTube channel, the former two-time champ said, “I just want to make sure I did this right, just one more time,” hinting that he could bring back a sharper version of himself, similar to what he showed against Alex Pereira at UFC 287.

However, for now, Strickland has stayed silent on those callouts. Still, ‘Tarzan’ not responding doesn’t rule out the possibility of the highly anticipated rematch happening down the line. It may very well happen! As Chael Sonnen pointed out, the timing of Strickland’s suspension ending could line up perfectly to put this matchup together. But if this fight doesn’t come to fruition, there’s always another one, a more interesting one!

A fresh matchup against Robert Whittaker  

Robert Whittaker vs. Sean Strickland might be the kind of matchup fans would pay to see tomorrow. But for some reason, the UFC just hasn’t been able to make it happen. Both sides have shown interest at different points, especially Whittaker’s camp. Yet, the timing issues and also Strickland showing some resentment to fight Whittaker have kept the fight from coming together.  

One such instance came after ‘Tarzan’ lost his belt to Dricus du Plessis at UFC 297. Speaking to MMA Crazy, Strickland shut down the idea of fighting Whittaker, saying, “Ain’t happening. I’ll say no. Whittaker doesn’t deserve it. I’m next in line. I defended my title shot. I’m the number one contender.” The reason was simple! Strickland believed his razor-close fight with ‘DDP’ should have gone his way, and that only another title shot made sense. Still, there was a point when both camps came very close to finalizing a deal.

Reports surfaced from Robert Whittaker’s management team that they were pushing for a fight with Strickland at UFC 305 in Australia. But the former middleweight champ spoiled the fun by turning it down, once again leaving fans disappointed. Since then, the Aussie stayed mostly quiet on the matchup, at least until this February.

Whittaker told On Paper with Anthony Smith, “I think Strickland makes a good argument to have because I feel like we’ve both been in that top sort of pond for a while circling each other. For whatever reason, we haven’t been matched up, but we’ve both been in proximity for a while, and it’s most likely the fight to make.”  

UFC fans are still waiting for the showdown between two of the most coveted former champions inside the Octagon. Still, the question remains—is this fight simply too cursed to happen? It might be, which is why there’s another exciting matchup waiting if we don’t get to see this one.

Defense vs Offense–Michael Venom Page

Honestly, Michael ‘Venom’ Page has been stirring things up in the middleweight division! He just scored a huge win over the dangerous Jared Cannonier at UFC 319. That victory has put him in a solid position to face a former champion—and who better than Sean Strickland? Sure, there isn’t the built-in storyline like with Israel Adesanya or Robert Whittaker, but the clash of styles alone would generate plenty of intrigue.

‘Venom’ might just have the flashiest striking style on the roster, and it’s all offense, no defense. He fights with his hands down, yet opponents still struggle to land clean because of his slick head movement. Now, picture that against Strickland, who’s basically a wall of jabs, crosses, and body kicks. How would that matchup unfold? We might finally get to see which proves stronger: classic defense or unique offense.

So, once Sean Strickland makes his return, there are some fresh and exciting matchups waiting for him. The only question is—who should he welcome back after his suspension ends? Let us know in the comments which fight you’d like to see!