Beneil Dariush reveals how Sean Strickland would 'beat up' teenagers during peak COVID times

At UFC 293, Sean Strickland pulled off one of the biggest upsets in recent times as he dominated Israel Adesanya to claim the middleweight title. However, according to Beneil Dariush, he had an integral part to play in 'Tarzan's statement win.

During an interview with MMA reporter Helen Yee, the lightweight contender joked that Strickland was only able to beat Adesanya due to the confidence he gained from "beating up" teenagers at Dariush's gym during the COVID lockdowns:

"Sean used to come and train with us all the time, especially during COVID time... He would come in, and he would beat up a bunch of my young wrestlers. These guys were in high school. They had either recently graduated, or they were just in high school, and he'd just come in, and he'd beat up [a] bunch of little teenagers and then drive off."

He added:

"I'm waiting to see him in person and be like, hey, the only reason you beat Adesanya is because I let you build your confidence up by beating up teenagers... Sean, you owe me one."

Catch Beneil Dariush's comments below:

Although Sean Strickland has no shortage of potential opponents for his first title defense, a rematch with Adesanya or the winner of Paulo Costa vs. Khamzat Chimaev seems to be the most likely possibility.

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Sean Strickland doesn't care who he fights, wants to make "f*****g money" in his first title defense

With the UFC middleweight title firmly around his waist, Sean Strickland will have to make his first title defense before long. However, it seems 'Tarzan' is less concerned about who he faces but instead wants to ensure that the outing is lucrative.

During a recent segment of his YouTube channel with Chris Curtis, Strickland claimed that making a ton of money is all he cares about when it comes to his first title defense:

"When it comes down to the next fight, everybody is like - 'who do you want to fight?' I don't give a f**k dude. I want to make f*****g money. I get those pay-per-view buys. Give me somebody who's going to make f*****g money. I don't want to fight anybody boring, give me someone who's making money."

Catch Sean Strickland's comments below (7:59):

As a professional mixed martial artist, Sean Strickland is 28-5 ( 15-5 in UFC ). During his career, he has registered wins against the likes of Uriah Hall and Jack Hermansson in addition to 'The Last Stylebender.'