Sean Strickland may have dropped the ball in his last fight against Dricus du Plessis after talking big in the build-up about a fight “to the death.” Nevertheless, he’s still up there as one of the most popular stars of the UFC, and a lot can be credited to the way he conducts himself and his ever-vocal persona. Former Xtreme Couture fighter and UFC Hall of Famer Forrest Griffin recently gave some insight into Strickland’s real personality.

Forrest Griffin has known Sean Strickland long enough to give a pretty good description of the reality behind the former middleweight champion’s outlandish attitude. As we all know, ‘Tarzan’ started out as a welterweight fighter, and the Hall of Famer claims that he’d always try to “look good.” During an episode of the JAXXON podcast, Griffin said, “He used to, you know, kind of try to look good, be tan, and when he was like, trying to make 70s.” 

In a light-hearted jibe, Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson, the host, appeared to believe something else was up with Sean Strickland during the old days, which Forrest Griffin, understandably, denied. Jackson said, “He used to be gay,” to which the Hall of Famer responded, “I don’t think so.”

But coming back to the topic of his personality, Sean Strickland has always had an eccentric personality, according to Forrest Griffin. Well, that’s been pretty evident with the numerous moments during press conferences when he’d throw caution to the wind and just spill all the trash-talk he could. Nevertheless, Strickland would seek to keep that part of him under control until he couldn’t.

In the wake of earning a fan base that rallies behind him for his outspoken nature, the former 185-pound champion believed it’s better to present himself to the masses the way they like it. This decision has surely paid dividends, at least, from the financial standpoint.

“He used to, you know… he’s always been a little nuts. And then, he started letting it slip out, and then, what happened? Well, people liked it. He got a positive reaction, and he said, ‘Oh sh*t! People like it when I’m really me,'” Forrest Griffin added. “And then, he quit trying to be whatever and started eating himself. Then he was like, ‘You know what? Now I’ve got to be the imp version of myself. So, now I’ve got to max it… and now he just does crazier sh*t because he gets a great response.”

Despite making fans love him with his raw and unfiltered attitude, Sean Strickland has also found himself in a heap of controversies over the years. In one of those recent ones, Forrest Griffin literally saved a non-fighter from ‘Tarzan’.

Forrest Griffin opens up on Sean Strickland sparring with Sneako

A controversial social media influencer meets a controversial combat sports athlete! Now that’s a recipe for disaster, which was exactly the case for Kick streamer Sneako a year ago. The 26-year-old decided to visit Sean Strickland’s gym, and he decided to step inside the cage and have a little sparring session with the former UFC champion. That turned out to be a pretty bad decision from Sneako because he’d get smoked by Strickland, as people would call for the fight to stop.

Forrest Griffin was at the gym during the whole commotion, and it would grab his attention. After realizing what was going on, he got inside the cage and stopped Sean Strickland from seriously hurting the online streamer. “I look up and sure enough, Sean Strickland’s just beating the sh*t out this kid… and that’s why I ran… so I run in there and stop him…I got some phone calls that night too,” Griffin told ‘Rampage’ Jackson.

While we wait to see who Sean Strickland fights next, let us know your thoughts on Forrest Griffin’s statements in the comments down below.