What’s the worst kind of heartbreak for a mixed martial artist? It’s definitely losing the chance to wear the championship belt even after giving it everything. And such was the case with Sean Strickland. The former middleweight champion broke records with the most significant strikes landed in middleweight history. Despite that, he lost the bout against Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 312, and had to walk away with a nose broken at 6 spots. And even though ‘Tarzan’ was going through the heartbreak that not many would understand, his girlfriend, KJ, surely didn’t step back from embracing him. 

Strickland took to Instagram and shared a picture of him and his girlfriend traveling back to the United States from Australia. But the picture showed KJ in a comforting embrace with the Californian mixed martial artist. However, Strickland couldn’t hold his hilarious side back and wrote a funny, but special message in the caption. He wrote, “This seat is definitely not big enough lol.” Let me tell you, it was a business-class seat that the former champion was complaining about. 

Of course, this wasn’t the first time Strickland received never-ending support from his girlfriend. Back in March 2024, the Californian shared his worries with the fighting community. He revealed that he has always been fighting his demons. Needless to say, there were times when he lost and there were times when he won. But in both scenarios, he had one constant. And that was KJ. Stick till the end to find out how KJ supported Strickland during his tough times. 

But Eric Nicksick, Sean Strickland’s coach, dropped the truth bomb on the former champ. He declared that the middleweight contender was nothing but a softy. And of course, the credit went to his romantic partner. 

Coach reveals the truth about Sean Strickland’s emotional side

Earlier in 2024, Nicksick had a conversation with CBS Sports’ Shakiel Mahjouri. Therein, he talked about the middleweight’s persona that he tends to hide from the world. And KJ was the source of comfort and discipline for him. Nicksick said, “He’s a big ol’ softy bro. Like 100%. That’s the thing with him, it’s just keeping his edge, and all the while you try to refine him a little better too as you hang out with him more and more. His girlfriend, K.J.’s been a huge godsend to Sean and his life. I think between myself and K.J., the gym and Danny Davis and the bunch of us, we don’t want to turn this dude soft.”

Well, he was spoilt with love. Back when he got emotional on social media, KJ came up with a gift card for him that read, “Hope you feel better”, and the Californian had to put out a sneaky remark to let down the fight fans’ worries. That’s when he said, “The gf making me feel extra soft lol.”

No doubt, KJ will help Strickland come out of the rut and push him to strive harder and train better for his next bout. And all we can do as fans, is wish a speedy recovery for him and wait for his return.

What are your thoughts on the relationship that Strickland shares with his girlfriend? Do you think she makes him soft? Let us know what you think in the comments down below.