06 September 2023 , 10:11
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One UFC fan got a little bit more than he bargained for when he sparred with middleweight title challenger Sean Strickland at an open workout today.
The controversial American has been making headlines throughout his week in Australia, threatening to kill a YouTube star and roasting reporters during his early media rounds. He even punched a fan outside of his UFC duties while walking around Bondi after they goaded him and claimed Israel Adesanya will knock him out in their world title fight.
And Strickland did it again this morning when he invited fans in Sydney to bring their gloves with them to his open workout, inviting a man named George on stage to train with him. He allowed the supporter a few free shots, before firing back one or two light blows with no intention to hurt, although one landed flush on the jaw and snapped his head back.
"The UFC says I must do some open work outs tonight at 5.40," Strickland wrote on Twitter before the session. "If you bring gloves I'll spar you! Just don't f***ing cut me! Lmao [Laughing my a** off]." And he did just that, inviting one supporter up before the promotion scuppered his plans to take on another.
"I would like to spar someone bigger," Strickland told the packed Sydney crowd after a light move-around. "But the UFC just said f***ing no. That's a damn shame because you guys are f***ing awesome, this man is awesome, you guys are awesome. But before I get out of here, give this little f***er a big round of applause."
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Speaking to Submission Radio before the event, George appeared cocky about the ordeal taunting Strickland by saying "Sean, I'm here, let's go. Any time, any place, anywhere, right here, right now, let's go." But afterwards was much more somber, telling the outlet: "It was scary, man. He hits hard."
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Strickland then left the stage and emerged into the crowd himself, circumventing the usual Q&A format to get amongst the fans himself. Usually a member of UFC staff will bring a microphone into the stands and allow fans to ask that way, but he opted to get involved on a more personal level at the barrier.
When one fan asked a particularly outlandish question, he responded "What are you guys trying to do? You're trying to get me f***ing kicked out of the UFC? I think it's f***ed up." He later promised a fifth round stoppage "after a f***ing bloodbath" in his bout with Adesanya, who is the home fighter in Australia given his training at City Kickboxing.
Adesanya later brought the fan back on stage for an exercise competition with a larger supporter, putting the pair through their paces. When the other fan couldn't complete a burpee, Adesanya kicked the pair off stage with a glove each from him, telling the crowd it was "comedy gold".