Watch Sean Strickland spar a fan at UFC 293 open workouts (VIDEO)
By Amy Kaplan
Sean Strickland promised that if a fan brought his gloves, he'd spar them and that's exactly what happened at the UFC 293 open work-outs in Sydney.
A few hours before the workouts he took to Twitter to invite a fan writing, "The UFC says I must do some open work outs tonight at 540.. If you bring gloves I'll spar you! Just don't f**king cut me! Lmao."
And he was a man of his word. He invited a fan to come trade shots with him, which for the record was incredibly stupid on so many levels, but totally on-brand for Strickland.
Sean Strickland was a man of his word and brought a fan onstage to spar at the #UFC293 open workouts pic.twitter.com/Cwo6Ytsjhv
— MMA Fighting (@MMAFighting) September 6, 2023
He even let the kid get a few shots off on him.
Sean Strickland actually sparred a fan at his UFC 293 Open Workout pic.twitter.com/t8fHxOk8Lr
— Oscar Willis (@oscarswillis) September 6, 2023
Just hours before the open workouts, FanSided MMA asked UFC president Dana White about Strickland punching a fan on Sunday in Australia.
White laughed it off and siad it wouldn't happen again.
"It was jokingly, the fan and him are cool," White said of the incident that Strickland himself revealed. “Going into this, I knew what this week was gonna be like. Yes, we’re prepared for it and yes we have people around him now so he won’t be punching people in the stomach anymore. For fun or not for fun.”
Guess Strickland didn't get that memo.
He will step into the Octagon on Saturday, Sept. 9 for his first UFC title shot when he takes on UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya at UFC 293.
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