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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Sean Strickland is starting to feel censored by the UFC.

2023 was the biggest year of the 33-year-old middleweight’s 34-fight career (28-6) and it’s not close. Strickland started his run in MMA as an unbeaten 15-0 prospect and put together a strong six-fight UFC winning streak from October 2018 to July 2022. However, that latter run didn’t culminate in a world title like his three-fight stretch last year did.

Strickland captured 185-pound gold over Israel Adesanya with a wildly impressive unanimous decision effort this past September. Unfortunately for him, Strickland lost his first title defense in January when tasked with Dricus du Plessis. The split decision result was a competitive one that the former champion still believes should have gone his way. Now that an immediate rematch with du Plessis is in question, Strickland sees it as a way of the promotion potentially keeping his extremely unfiltered personality out of the mandatory spotlight.

“I don’t really talk to UFC much,” Strickland told The Schmo (h/t MMA Mania). “All the UFC [does is] tells me to shut up. But let me tell you something about the UFC. I deserve that rematch, and if they don’t give me that rematch, they’re just not one of us. If they don’t give me that rematch, understand it’s for one reason and one reason alone: they want me to shut the f*** up. We all know what will happen, we’ll find out.

“[UFC CEO] Dana [White] is the definition of free speech, he supports it to such a degree. But UFC is financed by — you got Bud Light, all these massive corporations that even though Dana might be like, ‘Hey, I let Sean say what he wants,’ there’s a lot of very wealthy people telling him to shut me up. And not just shut me up, shut you guys up. Because everything I say is things you say. Everything I say is what UFC fans say. So when they reprimand me, understand they reprimand you guys.”

Ahead of his most recent bout at UFC 297 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Strickland had one of the more controversial media days in recent memory. The now-former title holder bashed the country and hurled some insults at the media while sharing some thoughts on the LGBTQ community. Ultimately, no repercussions came Strickland’s way, and business carried on as usual during fight week.

Well, except for the loss, which wasn’t on Strickland’s agenda.

“I won. Dana said I won, [Joe] Rogan said I won, we all know I won,” Strickland said. “I went to Canada and I fought in front of the commies and they shafted me. Dricus wants it, I want it. Win your title like a man, my friend. You know you got a gift from God. Let’s run this s*** back, settle it like men. That’s all I’m trying to say. Settle it like a man.”

Despite his masculine demeanor and alpha mentality, Strickland highlighted his reoccurring mental struggles in a social media video this week. He hasn’t been shy to be vulnerable in the public eye since his rise to fame late last year, and after a brief run with the title, Strickland hasn’t seemed to let things change him, which was a part of his message.

Circling back to the mention of Adesanya, the former two-time champion looks like the likely first challenger for du Plessis even though his last fight was the Strickland loss. Always down to fight any opponent sent his way, Strickland is more concerned about redemption against the South African than anything else.

“I’m at a good point in my life, I don’t even have to fight,” Strickland said. “I don’t give a f*** about the belt. I want to fight Dricus, it needs to happen, and we need to find out who won. Bottom line. I never cared about the belt and I still don’t. I just know you didn’t win. The world thought I won, the striking thought I won. Just run this s*** back, let’s handle it. You beat me fair and square, I’ll put the belt around your waist myself.”

TOP STORIES

Training. Rafael Cordeiro details viral pad sessions with Mike Tyson: ‘If I don’t move back, oh lord’

Callout. Dricus du Plessis to Israel Adesanya: ‘Be a man of your word’ and fight me

Whoops. Jake Gyllenhaal: Conor McGregor accidentally ‘clocked me in the face’ preparing for Road House movie

Troubles. Sean Strickland shares mental health struggle: ‘I have everything I’ve ever f****** wanted, and I still am mentally unwell’

Viewing. Bellator strikes deal with Warner Bros. Discovery to air events on Max starting with Belfast card

Opportunity. Matt Brown laments how much easier it is to get into the UFC these days: ‘The barrier of entry is so much lower’

Desire. Conor McGregor still wants to fight soon, but ‘there’s been no talk about anything’ from UFC

VIDEO STEW

Sound & Pound.

Canelo vs. Mungia Presser Staredown.

Golden Rose.

UFC Journey.

Bellator Belfast Fight Camp Confidential and Fight Week Vlog.

Puppy time.

Surf’s up.

LISTEN UP

Heck of a Morning. MMA Fighting’s Mike Heck reacts to Alexandre Pantoja vs. Steve Erceg, Jose Aldo’s return at UFC 301.

MORNING MUSIC

SOCIAL MEDIA BOUILLABAISSE

Maxed.

Ugh. Sorry, guys.

Talks.

Absence.

Jokes.

Work-room.

Royalty.

Throwback.

Superstar.

FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENTS

Robelis Despaigne (5-0) vs. Waldo Cortes-Acosta (11-1); UFC St. Louis, May 11

FINAL THOUGHTS

It’s pretty interesting to see Sean go in this direction after his title loss. Sure, he believed he beat Jared Cannonier as well, but this is a bit different. Is he just being a smart businessman? That feels weird to assume.

Thanks for reading!

EXIT POLL

If you find something you’d like to see in the Morning Report, hit up @DrakeRiggs_ on Twitter and let him know about it. Also, follow MMAFighting on Instagram and like us on Facebook.

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Break
| BJPenn.com

Bringing you the weird and wild from the world of MMA each and every weeknight!

Welcome to Midnight Mania!

In just two days (Thurs. March 21, 2024), the highly anticipated Road House remake will release on Amazon Prime (not theaters). Notably, it’s the silver screen debut of Conor McGregor, a project he’s spent a lot of time on while on the sidelines in the last couple years. McGregor will play the villainous Knox opposite Dalton, UFC castoff and bouncer portrayed by Jake Gyllenhaal.

Quite a few interesting stories have emerged from McGregor’s time on set. According to McGregor himself, for example, he made more than one enemy while in tinsel town. McGregor also channeled his inner Terminator for a nude scene and taught Gyllenhaal some important lessons about fight game intensity.

Now, McGregor is revealing more behind-the-scenes tales, including throwing down with Hollywood stuntmen. The Irish athlete revealed the exchanged blows got pretty serious, and he even put a few of his co-workers on the floor with “real shots.”

“I put a few of them down,” McGregor told ESPN. “Spinning back kicks and all, yeah? Spinning back kicks to the ribs, a couple head kicks. A couple of side kicks to the head as well. … I won’t tell the story, but there were some real shots for sure.

“I hit the guys, they hit me and I had no issue with that,” McGregor continued. “And they had no issue. They told me to. ‘F—king no, hit them for real.’ [I said,] ‘Are you sure?’”

At the moment, McGregor’s next UFC bout remains unbooked. However, his latest statements indicate a confidence that he’ll be back in the cage over summer against Michael Chandler. Hopefully, there are no further delays in his return to action.

Insomnia

It feels like there’s a close to zero chance Dricus Du Plessis vs. Israel Adesanya actually goes down in South Africa, which is a massive bummer. Could you imagine the scene?!?

Magomedov Sharabutdin secured a visa, maybe there’s hope from Khamzat too?

Robelis Despaigne gets a step up in competition! Think the fight lasts longer than 60 seconds?

Colby Covington is unlistenable per usual, but he sneaked some decent roasts into this response video.

A few classic ways to defend against kicks! Good little self-defense video.

I think Ilia Topuria might just be a star …

Paulo Costa is a menace.

Slips, rips, and KO clips

Collins was wobbling all over the ring! His legs were completely gone.

Cory Sandhagen is one of my favorite active fighters, and his commitment to body work is a significant factor in that.

Two Heavyweight legends young and hungry, 20 years ago!

Random Land

Stilt walking.

Midnight Music: Rock, 1982

Sleep well Maniacs! More martial arts madness is always on the way.

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

The promotion for Conor McGregor’s feature film debut is getting interesting.

On Thursday, March 21, the Irishman goes from the Octagon to the silver screen when he stars alongside Academy Award nominee Jake Gyllenhaal in a remake of the 1989 action classic Road House.

To hype fans up for this week’s release, McGregor sat down with his co-star in one of Buzzfeed’s popular Puppy Interviews. Just past the nine-minute mark of the below embed, the pair compete in a friendly arm wrestling contest with the support of some furry friends.

Releasing exclusively on Amazon Prime Video, this updated version of Road House features Gyllenhaal as Dalton, an “ex-UFC fighter who takes a job as a bouncer at a Florida Keys roadhouse, only to discover that this paradise is not all it seems.” McGregor is set to play Knox, one of the movie’s antagonists.

Road House also stars Daniela Melchior (The Suicide Squad, Fast X), Billy Magnussen (Game Night, Velvet Buzzsaw, Aladdin), Jessica Williams, Joaquim de Almeida, and Grammy Award-winning music artist Post Malone.

Conor McGregor was asked to ‘turn the crazy down’ while filming road house

In an interview with The Au Review, McGregor revealed that he was asked to “turn the crazy down” but was given free rein to play around and modify the fight choreography.

“Yeah, it was a hell of a lot of fun! My first time doing it!” McGregor said. “I had an amazing cast to guide me and direct me, you know? Assist me. And they just told me to turn the crazy down a notch! So that was me turned down.

“We were given free rein to add… you know, we were allowed to be ourselves and they were very supportive of that. Gareth Warren and Steve Brown, who were the stunt guys who were co-ordinating the fighting scenes, if they laid the foundation and then we’d add a couple of blocks here and there, they would build us up and make us feel incredible. Then we just grew as a team. We had a great team. Very blessed and very happy and very proud that I got to deal with these people here.”

Thus far, Road House is holding strong at 68% on Rotten Tomatoes with 56 critics weighing in.

LowKickMMA.com

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

With UFC 299 and UFC 300 being absolutely stacked fight cards on paper, many were wondering what would take place at UFC 301 in May, which will serve as the promotion’s return to Brazil. Over this past weekend, it was announced that Alexandre Pantoja will defend his flyweight title against Steve Erceg, while it was also revealed that Jose Aldo would end his MMA retirement to face Jonathan Martinez — and both fights certainly got the MMA community talking.

On an all-new edition of Heck of a Morning, MMA Fighting’s Mike Heck reacts to the bookings, the reactions from fans, and the giant opportunities for Erceg and Martinez. Additionally, listener topics include whether or not the UFC should move Charles Oliveira vs. Arman Tsarukyan from UFC 300 to UFC 301, Alex Pereira potentially making a quick turnaround for the May pay-per-view if he gets out of his fight with Jamahal Hill unscathed, the UFC’s next three events as lead-ins to the April 13 mega event, what UFC 302 could look like, and much more.

You can listen live to Heck of a Morning Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays at 10 a.m. ET on the MMA Fighting Twitter Spaces.

If you miss it live, audio-only versions of the podcast can be found below, on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, and wherever you find your favorite podcasts.

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts