Sean Strickland will return to action at UFC 302 and defend his title against Paulo Costa. Having lost his title in the last fight, he would seek to get back into the winning column. As we inch closer to the first of two June PPVs, we will take a look at Strickland’s nickname, ‘Tarzan‘, and explore the reason behind his decision to adopt that moniker.

The middleweight champion is often known to be extremely vocal about his thoughts on various subjects. He has garnered a fan base due to his outgoing personality. However, the fans have long wanted to know the reason for Sean Strickland’s ‘Tarzan’ moniker, which he opened up on, a long time ago. Let’s see what he had to say.

Sean Strickland explained the meaning of his nickname back in 2009

‘Tarzan’, the fictional character, was stranded in a forest after a shipwreck, after which he learned to live the way of the jungle. Climbing trees, having long hair with a limited amount of clothing, and going head-to-head against some of the most lethal animals in the forest – that’s what ‘Tarzan’ was all about. Apparently, Sean Strickland believes he shares some of the features of the fictional character.

During a video recorded back in 2009, Sean Strickland, who fought in four professional fights at that time, explained his nickname to a friend who was recording him. “[I have] long hair, I like to climb trees and you know [I like to brawl],” the middleweight champion stated. This was also the time when Strickland was in his late teenage years. However, the 32-year-old does not have much love for his nickname. He revealed during an interview with ‘The Schmo’ that he wasn’t a fan of the sobriquet, ‘Tarzan’. Let’s see the reason why.

What is Strickland’s problem with his nickname?

During a 2022 interview, Sean Strickland claimed that the moniker ‘Tarzan’ does not fit his personality. He’d have rather chosen to take up the word ‘Hate’ as his nickname, but he understood that the word has some negative emotions attached to it.

“I don’t know, man. It doesn’t fit me, ya know? I’ve always liked ‘Hate’ but then again, that has some bad connotations, but I feel like it suits me. I’m kind of an angry motherf***er,” Sean Strickland told ‘The Schmo’. It is safe to say that even without a nickname, the middleweight champion will have no problems dealing with opponents inside the Octagon.

Watch This Story: Israel Adesanya’s LHW move discussed by UFC legends

Sean Strickland had shocked the world once by handing an upset loss to Israel Adesanya. But he couldn’t do the same to Dricus du Plessis. But he can very much get back to title contention, and it will be interesting to see if he can take advantage of Paulo Costa, who lost his last fight against Robert Whittaker. What are your predictions? Let us know in the comments.

Read More: Khamzat Chimaev Reminder for Dana White Post UFC 297 Has Fans Divided; Could Feature in UFC 300 Fight for MW Title – “Chimaev Is Going to Sub Sean Strickland”