Nobody thought Sean Strickland would go on to defeat Israel Adesanya at UFC 293. But he ended up handing ‘The Last Stylebender’ one of the biggest upset losses in UFC history. Strickland won the UFC middleweight title for the first time, leading Joe Rogan to bust some myths about his fighting style.
Sean Strickland is gearing up for his first title defense against Dricus du Plessis at UFC 297. The pair will face off in the UFC’s first PPV of 2024, scheduled to go down in Toronto. Meanwhile, Joe Rogan had the CEO and founder of Black Rifle Coffee Company, Evan Hafer, on his show, where he praised ‘Tarzan’ and shared a few words about his unusual fighting style.
Joe Rogan claims Sean Strickland is the real deal
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The JRE host understands that Sean Strickland may not have the same fighting stance as most of the other MMA fighters. This is why many people in the MMA community take shots at him, thinking that he is not that good of a mixed martial artist. Joe Rogan said, “You can talk all the sh*t you want, you know, because Strickland seems like he’s got this awkward style and people think he’s not as good as he is.”
However, Joe Rogan stated that when he witnessed Sean Strickland’s sparring footage, he saw him beating up his training partners like nobody else. These clips changed the way he thought about ‘Tarzan’ regarding his MMA prowess. “But you watch him tune dudes up, you’re like, ‘That guy’s a motherf***er, man,'” said Rogan. He also praised the middleweight champion’s defensive tactics.
JRE host claims Strickland’s got great defense
Joe Rogan did not fail to mention to his guest that Sean Strickland perhaps spars more than the other UFC fighters on the roster. His team even uses a mouthpiece to check how many times a fighter gets hit. Interestingly, ‘Tarzan’ has the record for getting hit the least times. Rogan claims this is because of his efficient defensive tactics. He further stated, “He spars more than anybody in the UFC and they put a mouthpiece that measures how many times you get hit. He gets hit less than anyone [and] he’s got phenomenal defense.”
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The one thing that Joe Rogan believes Sean Strickland does better than most people is managing the distance of his opponent. The 56-year-old has credited this skill to the champion’s continuous involvement in sparring sessions. “His distance management is off the charts and it’s because he’s constantly sparring. So like, that’s what he does better than anybody,” Rogan added.
Sean Strickland dominated Israel Adesanya at UFC 293. It remains to be seen if he can produce the same kind of performance against the hungry Dricus du Plessis. Both fighters have winning momentum on their side as we wait to see how things will pan out for both of them at UFC 297.
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What is your prediction for the title fight? Drop your comments below.
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