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Sean Strickland had a motorcycle accident in December of 2018. Strickland suffered several injuries in the incident, which left him unconscious for several hours. Additionally, the UFC fighter required knee surgery as a result. This was followed by a lengthy layoff as he recovered from the damage he sustained.
Speaking to MMA Fighting ahead of his comeback fight in October 2020, Strickland recalled the incident. 'Tarzan' was heading home after a sparring session and riding his motorbike at around 45 mph.
Unfortunately, he was intercepted by a van. The collision rendered Strickland unconscious for many hours. When he woke up, he found himself surrounded by doctors and a police officer. He said:
“As far as the actual accident, that wasn’t so traumatic but just waking up to ‘you’re going into knee surgery.’ That was the thing that really struck me hard. The only thing I’ve ever done in life was be a loser and be an MMA fighter. That hit me hard.” [H/T MMA Fighting]
Most doctors advised him that he probably shouldn’t fight again. Strickland added, however, that the doctors at the UFC PI (Performance Institute) were supportive and encouraged him on his road to a potential comeback.
Strickland confirmed that even after undergoing surgery to repair his kneecap, his leg was still extensively damaged. He noted that his patella tendon was torn and separated from his knee. He underwent surgery to fix this but then also had to deal with a quadriceps tear.
Moreover, Strickland highlighted that there were times when self-doubt took over and he questioned if he’ll ever be able to fight again. He claims he took inspiration from fighters like Nick Newell and Michael Bisping, who fought through physical disabilities and serious career-altering injuries to compete as MMA fighters.
Watch Sean Strickland's rise in the UFC below:
Sean Strickland's comeback and rise to UFC middleweight champion's status
Sean Strickland suffered a KO loss to Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos in May 2018. He then fought Nordine Taleb in a welterweight bout and secured an impressive TKO victory in October 2018. Following this, Strickland got into the aforementioned motorcycle accident in December 2018.
Thankfully, Strickland recovered in the ensuing months and competed in his comeback fight at UFC Fight Night: Hall vs. Silva on October 31st, 2020. He returned to the middleweight division in this fight and beat Jack Marshman via unanimous decision on the night.
After amassing a six-fight winning streak in the UFC, 'Tarzan' suffered back-to-back losses to Alex Pereira and Jared Cannonier which appeared to have derailed his momentum. However, he put another winning streak together and stepped up to face two-time UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya when the opportunity knocked on his door.
Strickland dominated 'The Last Stylebender' en route to a unanimous decision win at UFC 293. The victory is considered one of the biggest upsets of all time and it transformed the 32-year-old into one of the bigger stars of the sport.
Strickland will attempt the first defense of his UFC middleweight title reign against Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 297. The event will take place at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Canada, on Jan. 20, 2024.
