What Ethnicity Is Sean Strickland? Which U.S. State Does the Ex-Middleweight Champ Belong to?

UFC middleweight champion, Sean Strickland is set to take on surging contender Paulo Costa at UFC 302. Fight fans from all across the world are looking forward to seeing the two middleweights dish it out. They are, after all, two of the biggest names on the roster. Meanwhile, Strickland has grown in stature as one of the most popular UFC stars. But on the contrary, most fans don’t really know who the former champion is other than his raw personality.

Despite being a very vocal fighter, there’s not much we know about the middleweight champion. So to get you briefed on who the middleweight champion is before his fight at UFC 302. Here is an insight on the middleweight champion, Sean Strickland.

Sean Strickland – birth and early life

Sean Strickland is a Caucasian male, born on 27th February 1991. The 33-year-old middleweight champion was born and raised in Anaheim, California in the US. He claims to have an older brother who he’s really good friends with.

He took up MMA at a very early age and fell in love with the sport as soon as he started. ‘Tarzan’ said he loves what he does as it gives him an outlet to vent out the frustrations that he has inside him. And the frustrations stem from his childhood.

The middleweight champion had a very rough childhood due to having an abusive father. As he grew older he stopped keeping contact with his old man but is still close with his mother. Strickland revealed the atrocities he faced as a child in a podcast with Theo Von.

Despite having a horrible past where he made some pretty regretful decisions in life, the UFC champion has become a fan-favorite fighter. This is highly credited to Strickland’s authenticity and character. Sean Strickland is sure to have a lot of supporters when he fights Paulo Costa at UFC 302. However, he did not have many supporters growing up because he had to go through some really hard times.

Strickland’s problematic childhood and early life

For Sean Strickland, fighting was just a means to release the way he felt inside due to a rough time as a child. His father, who was an alcoholic, mentally and physically abused the former champion, as mentioned earlier. While on Theo Von’s ‘This Past Weekend’ podcast, Strickland would reveal that he just lost all sense of belief and lost his spiritual side during that time. “I remember lying in bed; I remember I stopped believing in God.” ‘Tarzan’s father also had an abusive relationship with his mother, and he would often guard his mother just to avoid that.

“I always slept under my parents’ bed or next to their bedroom door, because I thought my father was going to kill my mother any day,” the former champion added. Those are seriously horrifying details of his childhood and most children would not have recovered from those traumatic experiences. But Strickland found his mojo in fighting and has always tried to maintain a better lifestyle than his father.

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Now, when we move to the fight at UFC 302, it will be an interesting one because it will be Strickland’s first fight against someone out of the top 5 ever since he won the title at UFC 293.  Regardless, who would you pick to win the middleweight clash at UFC 302? Let us know in the comments section below.

Also read: Sean Strickland’s Coach Reveals Aftermath of Ugly UFC 296 Brawl With Dricus Du Plessis, Explains Champ’s Uncharacteristic Outburst