UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland opens up on horrific childhood abuse

By Susan Cox - January 3, 2024

UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland is opening up about the horrific abuse he suffered as a child.

Sean Strickland, UFC, Champion, Hyundai

Strickland’ sat down with Theo Von on ‘This Past Weekend’ and the video of the podcast has been released. An emotional ‘Tarzan’ opened up about the abuse he suffered at the hands of his father.

The 32-year-old shared a glimpse of what he endured during his childhood saying:

“My dad gets on top of my mom, and I remember he said, ‘I’m going to f**king kill you tonight. Maybe it’s just rough sex, we don’t know at this moment. I’m under the bed, and he starts strangling her. I get out, and the only thing I can see is a guitar, I just f**king crack him in the head and call the cops.”

“I run down the street to call the cops, he’s arrested, and my dumb ass mom bails him out of jail. I would say that’s the tip of the iceberg.”

Continuing, Sean Strickland said:

“I remember I used to just sit there and hug my mom’s leg in the kitchen. We had this little nook, and she would go in the nook, and I would sit there and all night long, I’m by the feet of my mom with my dad (saying) ‘I’m going to f**king kill you!’ He would talk about burning her face with acid.”

Concluding, the Californian shared:

“I’m in elementary school. He’d always tell her, ‘If you cheat on me’ — and she probably was cheating on him — ‘If you cheat on me, I’m going to cut you up and put you in a bottle of acid and bury you.’”

Through tears, Sean Strickland continued to share the pain of the trauma which was caused by his obviously unhealthy and very turbulent family dynamics growing up.

It was at the UFC 296 pre-fight press conference that Dricus Du Plessis took aim at Strickland saying “you think your dad beat the sh*t out of you? Your dad doesn’t have sh*t on me … every childhood memory you have is going to come back when I’m in there with you”.

Following that threat, Sean Strickland, while at the T-Mobile Arena watching UFC 296, attacked Dricus Du Plessis, who was sitting directly behind him. There is talk that the incident was staged.

Regardless, Strickland believes Du Plessis’s commentary was ‘off limits‘ and he vows to make the 29-year-old pay for those remarks when the two get in the Octagon later this month.

UFC 297 takes place on Saturday, January 20th and the main event will feature current champion Sean Strickland (28-5 MMA) going up against Dricus Du Plessis (20-2 MMA) for the middleweight belt.

Will you be watching? Who are you betting on for the win?

Share your thoughts in the comment section PENN Nation!


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Sean Strickland UFC