"He asked me if I’m afraid" - MMA journalist Helen Yee details wholesome moment she knew Sean Strickland would achieve success

Sean Strickland is the new UFC middleweight champion of the world and Helen Yee says she knew he would be champion for a long time.

The American shocked the world at UFC 293 when he outclassed, outscored, and outstriked a man considered one of the best middleweights in the history of the division. Strickland not only beat Israel Adesanya, but he did it in a dominant fashion. According to Helen Yee, she knew it was only a matter of time before 'Tarzan' became champion based on one of her interviews with him.

"Sean Strickland story: After my summer swimming in AZ, Sean asked me how I did. I told him not good like I wanted. He asked me if I’m afraid of failure and to let that fear go because that’s when the best will happen (his mentality). From that moment, I knew..so happy for him! Congratulations."

Take a look at the post on Instagram:

The sports reporter congratulated Sean Strickland on his win and shared the story on Instagram. Yee credits his win to his mentality of not fearing failure, and Strickland looked like he was not scared at all when he stepped into the octagon against an overwhelming favorite in Israel Adesanya. Against all odds, 'Tarzan' won a match that he was never supposed to win on paper.

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Dricus Du Plessis calls out Sean Strickland following his win over Israel Adesanya at UFC 293

The #1 ranked UFC middleweight Dricus Du Plessis was originally set to fight Israel Adesanya for the title. However, the fight fell through and the South African was replaced by Sean Strickland. Following his win against 'The Last Stylebender', Du Plessis called the American out for a title fight on the grounds that they both had two of the biggest upsets of the year:

"Me & @SStricklandMMA had the biggest upsets of 2023 so let’s settle this like men I’m ready. After that @stylebender can get a hiding in Africa I don’t want to fight the amateur that fought on Sat I want to beat the best Adesanya, take some time and get your sh*t together first."

Take a look at the tweet:

'Stillknocks' seems confident that he can beat Sean Strickland and has his eyes set on Israel Adesanya already. believes he will beat Strickland and then look to fight the New Zealand native.