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Chael Sonnen has come to the defense of Sean Strickland after he knocked out a sparring partner.
The No.7-ranked Strickland recently took to Instagram to post a video of the training incident. He was criticized by several fans and fighters as a result of the KO. However, his former Team Quest camp colleague Sonnen felt that the backlash was unnecessary.
Speaking on his Beyond the Fight YouTube show, 'The American Gangster' opined that 'Tarzan' was one of the most reliable teammates he's ever had. Sonnen also praised Strickland for being a great sparring partner, saying that the knockout was an "unfortunate incident".
"I was watching Sean Strickland's sparring videos 20 minutes ago. Sean is back in the news. He was sparring and knocked out a training partner. I have to defend Sean. Sean was one of the most trustable and best teammates I've ever had. I trusted him completely with my body. He went very hard and was very competitive trying to win rounds. But he was very controlled and whether it was me or whoever his other partners were, he never hurt anybody. I have to defend him in that video. That was an unfortunate incident. But Sean was padded up and he did throw that kick appropriately... I don't like the idea of Sean getting a bad rap. He's a trustable, hard working, honest guy and he'll come back tomorrow and the day after that,"
Watch Chael Sonnen speak about Sean Strickland knocking out his sparring partner below:
Strickland has openly admitted that he wants to murder his opponents inside the octagon, as well as acknowledging that he used to be a neo-Nazi. His Instagram account was taken down after posting violent training videos on several occasions.
Sean Strickland is scheduled to take on Jack Hermansson at UFC Fight Night 200 next month
Sean Strickland will square off against No.6-ranked middleweight contender Jack Hermansson next at UFC Fight Night 200 inside the Apex center on February 5th, 2022.
A win for either fighter during their five round main event in Nevada will most likely seal them a title eliminator bout next.
Strickland holds a 24-3 win-loss record in his professional mixed martial arts career so far, while 'The Joker' is currently 22-6.
