Meaning Behind Sean Strickland Nickname ‘Tarzan’ and ‘DeSean’

Sean Strickland will return to action at UFC 312 in a fight to reclaim his title against Dricus du Plessis. Having lost his title in their previous encounter, he would seek to get back the belt to become a 2-time champion. As we inch closer to the headlining fight this weekend, we will take a look at Strickland’s nicknames and explore the reason behind them.

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.

How did Sean Strickland get the name Tarzan?

‘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, that is not the only name the former champ’s got because there’s another nickname for Sean Strickland as well.

Why is Strickland called DeSean?

Sean Strickland’s teammates shared a video back in the day of the former champion wearing a black durag, inspired by the hip-hop culture, and holding a bottle of alcohol, which Strickland recreated during an interview with The Schmo as well. In addition to that, he also had a cigar behind his ear, and this became a source of memes for the fans on social media.

The fan dubbed Sean Strickland as ‘DeSean’ which was inspired by the aforementioned hip-hop culture where the durag gained its popularity from famous rappers like ’50 Cent’ Curtis Jackson, Jay-Z, and many others. The former middleweight champion playfully embraced this moniker, although this isn’t the one that Bruce Buffer announces when he steps inside the Octagon for a fight.

Well, whichever nickname you call Sean Strickland by, Sean Strickland is a champion fighter, and to prove that, he’ll be looking to cement his legacy this weekend as the only fighter besides Israel Adesanya to hold the 185-pound belt twice.