Sean Strickland has been sharing sparring footage again - but this time his training partner is a fan who dreamed of fighting the UFC star.
The top middleweight contender is just days away from headlining the UFC’s latest event at the APEX Facility in Las Vegas alongside Abus Magomedov.
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Despite that, he’s still having fun and sparring with random people ahead of a fight he hopes will lead to a shot at Israel Adesanya’s 185lb strap.
"This is Johnny. I met Johnny walking, and he was showing me some cool shadowboxing s***," Strickland said in the video he shared on Instagram.
"I’m like, ‘Bro, you should come train.’ I didn’t think Johnny would show up, but Johnny showed up. So, Johnny, let me ask you, how hard do you want me to spar?"
Ultimately, they agree to spar at 70 per cent after Johnny reveals that he has a ‘little bit’ of fighting experience which immediately becomes clear when they start trading blows.
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The youngster threw a variety of strikes to the legs, body, and head of Strickland who playfully held his guard up before exploding with a flurry of punches.
Johnny does his best to get out of the way and even returns with a leg kick before getting dropped by an overhand right and a follow-up left hook when he rises to his feet.
Following the second knockdown, Johnny spits out his gumshield and opts to stay on the floor, but he had already done enough to earn the respect of the UFC star who touched gloves with him.
“True story…. When people ask me to spar and I say “show up” lmao Johnny showed up! Welcome to the team man!!! New member of Xtreme Couture MMA,” Strickland captioned the clip.
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In the comment section, Johnny explained his background in the sport and thanked Strickland for making his dreams come true by punching him in the face.
He wrote: “I used to train a ton of MMA and was pretty good but ended up quitting because I couldn’t find fights under 155 and kept getting sick (pneumonia/respiratory infections every couple months).
“I’d love to put a few months in at the gym and spar with a pro level guy. Sean thanks for making dreams come true”
Strickland has previously caused controversy by sharing sparring footage.
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The 32-year-old infamously uploaded a video of him knocking out one of his training partners with a head kick, something which shocked and appalled fans in equal measures.
After ending 2022 with back-to-back defeats against Alex Pereira and Jared Cannonier, Strickland returned to the win column by beating top prospect Nasourdine Imavov in January.
A win over an unranked opponent on Saturday night is unlikely to improve his position as the seventh-ranked middleweight contender.
Strickland could still earn a title shot with a victory, though, as Adesanya is bereft of new challengers at this point.
