Sean Strickland News

Fernando Quiles Jr. - February 22, 2026

Khamzat Chimaev is taking aim at Sean Strickland in the aftermath of UFC Houston. Strickland had some words for the UFC Middleweight Champion going into Saturday’s showdown with Anthony Hernandez. In an interview with Newsweek Sports, Strickland blasted Chimaev for focusing more on Alex Pereira than making his first title defense.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - February 22, 2026

UFC CEO Dana White believes the media plays a big role in making Sean Strickland a PR “nightmare.” Strickland has been known to be outspoken and UFC’s message has been about free speech over the last few years. Still, White isn’t happy with some of the extremes Strickland will reach in some of his quotes. While White doesn’t want to filter his fighters, he is taking media members to task over Strickland’s latest rants.

Chris Taylor - February 21, 2026

The Octagon returned to Texas for tonight’s UFC Houston event, and four fighters wound up taking home performance bonuses. The fight card was headlined by a key middleweight matchup featuring former division champion Sean Strickland taking on Anthony Hernandez. The bout proved to be a return to glory for the promotion’s former middleweight champ in Sean Strickland. The 34-year-old was able to utilize his snapping left jab to overwhelm and frustrate Hernandez throughout the opening two rounds. Then, in round three, Strickland landed a crushing knee to the body that clearly hurt ‘Fluffy’. Smelling blood, Sean rushed in with a flurry of punches that resulted in Anthony going down and the eventual referee stoppage (see that here). It was an amazing showing and after the victory Stickland proceeded to callout current 185lbs title holder Khamzat Chimaev.

Chris Taylor - February 21, 2026

Tonight’s UFC Houston event was headlined by a key middleweight matchup between Sean Strickland and Anthony Hernandez. Strickland (30-7 MMA) was returning to action for the first time since losing a unanimous decision to Dricus Du Plessis in a fight for the promotion’s middleweight title 12 months ago at UFC 312 in Sydney, Australia. Prior to that setback, the former middleweight title holder had defeated Paulo Costa by way of split decision at UFC 302.

Chris Taylor - February 21, 2026

The Octagon returns to Texas for tonight’s UFC Houston event, a 14-bout fight card headlined by Sean Strickland vs. Anthony Hernandez. Strickland (29-7 MMA) will be returning to action for the first time since losing a unanimous decision to Dricus Du Plessis in a fight for the promotion’s middleweight title 12 months ago at UFC 312 in Sydney, Australia. Prior to that setback, the former middleweight title holder had defeated Paulo Costa by way of split decision at UFC 302.

Dylan Bowker - February 21, 2026

Sean Strickland has already hit the high-water mark of his MMA career, according to a former foe who clashed with him in the UFC. The combatant in question is Krzysztof Jotko, who fell short to Strickland by way of unanimous decision during their UFC Fight Night bout in May 2021. Jotko recently won the Tipsport Gamechanger tournament and has been carving out a strong path within the European MMA powerhouse, Oktagon MMA. When asked for his thoughts on Strickland’s upcoming fight with Anthony ‘Fluffy’ Hernandez at UFC Houston, Krzysztof Jotko said [via Bowks Talking Bouts],

Fernando Quiles Jr. - February 20, 2026

The UFC Houston weigh-ins saw every fighter hit their target. The main event middleweight clash between Sean Strickland and Anthony Hernandez is intact. Strickland had some struggles during the weight cutting process, but it didn’t prevent him from hitting the 185-pound mark. Hernandez clocked in at 186 pounds, making Saturday’s headliner official. Co-headliners Uros Medic and Geoff Neal also made weight for their welterweight battle. Medic tipped the scales at 171 bouts, while Neal’s weight was 170.5 pounds.

BJ Penn Staff - February 20, 2026

Sean Strickland seemingly had a very difficult weight cut for his next UFC fight. Strickland, a former middleweight champion, will return to the action in the main event of UFC Houston on Saturday night. His opponent will be surging, No. 4-ranked contender Anthony Hernandez.

Curtis Calhoun - February 19, 2026

UFC middleweight contender Nassourdine Imavov didn’t take long to hit back at Sean Strickland’s taunts at UFC Houston media day. Former UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland is hours away from arguably the most important fight of his career this weekend at UFC Houston. Strickland and surging middleweight star Anthony Hernandez headline a stacked card in the Lone Star State, with a potential middleweight title shot on the line.

Curtis Calhoun - February 19, 2026

Former two-division UFC champ Amanda Nunes didn’t hold back in responding to Sean Strickland’s controversial remarks on female fighters. Former UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland is known to make headlines in and out of the cage. Ahead of many of his UFC fights, Strickland has made controversial comments about women, homosexuals, politics, and other issues that draw strong reactions from fight fans.

Cole Shelton - February 19, 2026

Joe Pyfer will be paying close attention to the UFC Houston main event. Former UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland is set to take on Anthony Hernandez in a pivotal fight at middleweight. Heading into the fight, Hernandez is a sizable betting favorite, but Pyfer believes it will be Strickland who dominates Hernandez to get a win.

Dylan Bowker - February 18, 2026

Sean Strickland was directionally vitriolic when discussing the recent Super Bowl halftime show and used some regressive slurs to describe the featured performer, Bad Bunny. This year’s NFL-related entertainment proceedings became heavily politicized, with some seeing Bad Bunny as being representative of a left-leaning performance. While on the other end of this political binary showcase, a Turning Point USA show featuring Kid Rock offered up more of a MAGA-focused, right-leaning musical offering. Strickland returns from his suspension to clash with Anthony ‘Fluffy’ Hernandez this weekend, but he also took some time to lambast Bad Bunny and the NFL halftime show during his pre-fight media day. When the controversial combatant began touching upon how we should all divert from MMA discourse and take a look at recent happenings in the NFL, Strickland said,

BJ Penn Staff - February 18, 2026

Former UFC champ Sean Strickland has no interest in watching Ronda Rousey fight Gina Carano on Netflix this May. Rousey will meet Carano in a pro MMA bout on May 16. Both women rank among the most influential fighters in the history of women’s MMA, so the bout will definitely generate huge viewership—possibly more than the upcoming UFC White House card.

Cole Shelton - February 18, 2026

Sean Strickland expects to make a statement at UFC Houston. Strickland is set to headline UFC Houston on Saturday against Anthony Hernandez in a pivotal fight at middleweight. Heading into the fight, Strickland is a +230 underdog on FanDuel, but he expects to hand him the upset at UFC Houston.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - February 18, 2026

Sean Strickland believes forces outside of UFC will lead to Khamzat Chimaev eventually defending the middleweight gold. Strickland is known for being outspoken, and his stance on Chimaev’s inactivity is no exception. Chimaev was last seen inside the Octagon when he turned in a brilliant grappling display against Dricus du Plessis. After nearly 22 minutes of control time, Chimaev won the UFC Middleweight Championship via unanimous decision.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - February 18, 2026

Former UFC heavyweight legend Cain Velasquez was recently released from prison 10 months after pleading no contest to attempted murder, among other charges. The circumstances around Velasquez’s sentence have been heavily discussed, and Sean Strickland is glad that the former champion is a free man. Last year, Velasquez was given a five-year sentence with 1,283 days credited for time served. Back in Feb. 2022, Velasquez shot at a vehicle with Harry Goularte as a passenger. Goularte’s stepfather suffered a non-life threatening injury during the incident. Goularte has been accused of molesting Velasquez’s son and is awaiting trial for a felony charge of lewd acts with a minor. Despite this, Goularte is currently out on bail.

Curtis Calhoun - February 13, 2026

Former UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland believes Anthony Hernandez will be the toughest fight of his career next weekend. UFC middleweights Sean Strickland and Anthony Hernandez are two of the toughest fighters in modern Mixed Martial Arts. Both fighters put on entertaining fights inside the cage, while showcasing a hard persona outside of the Octagon.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - February 13, 2026

Sean Strickland believes he’s got the best shot to take the UFC Middleweight Championship from Khamzat Chimaev. Strickland may have dropped two bouts against Dricus du Plessis, but he feels he could give Chimaev some problems with his fighting style. Talking to ESPN’s Brett Okamoto, Strickland said that he’d have a better chance of dethroning “Borz” than his UFC Houston opponent Anthony Hernandez (h/t MMAFighting).