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Sean Strickland is speaking out about his mental health struggles.

The former UFC middleweight champion shared his recent struggles in an Instagram post on Monday night, revealing that he was “f****** spiraling” and was “mentally unwell” despite having everything he’s ever wanted. Strickland said these issues arise “multiple times a month, every month,” and reiterated that he feels “like a danger to people” and has been trapped in a mindset where he wants “to burn everything down in the world.”

Strickland’s complete message can be seen below.

“Man, all week I’ve been f***** up, dude. I’ve been on the Twitter saying crazy s***, just just f****** spiraling. I woke up and I told my girl, I was like, ‘Babe, I feel like a danger to people. I don’t feel like I should be out in the world.’ And I think that, you know, I have everything — I’m rich, I’m famous. Like, I have everything I’ve ever f****** wanted, and I still am mentally unwell. And I get in these like, mindsets, to where like, I want to burn everything down in the world. Like, I want to have nothing so I could just f****** lose it and just take out everything on people. And I think that, like, you guys in a weird way are like my family.

“I’ve shared some s*** with you guys and you guys have shared some s*** with me that like, I feel more connected with my fans than I think most people feel, just because we’ve gone through a lot together. And man, I have everything I want, dude, and I still struggle with mental health. And my memory is so short that like, when I’ve gone through this week, like once I get past it, I think to myself, ‘Oh man, that was a really rough time in my life.’ But then when I really think about it, this happens multiple times a month, every month.

“And again, I don’t even know why I’m telling you guys this. I’ve just been kind of going through some s***. I’m fine, I’ll be fine. I’m going to go train right now and try to hurt all my friends and all the demons will go away. I just want you guys know that I have everything I could ever want in the world and I still struggle, so whatever you guys are going through, man, I hope you all feel better. Go to the gym, train. F****** wish you all the best.”

Strickland, 33, has been sidelined since dropping his UFC middleweight title in a split decision to Dricus du Plessis this past January at UFC 297. That loss ended a three-fight win streak over Nassourdine Imavov, Abus Magomedov, and Israel Adesanya that saw Strickland rise to stardom with his shocking upset of Adesanya to capture the belt at UFC 293.

Strickland is no stranger to voicing his mental health distress. In various interviews and on social media, Strickland has spoken candidly about his traumatic childhood, his neo-Nazi past, and his constant battle with homicidal thoughts. He has also kept plenty busy since his title loss, feuding with musician Machine Gun Kelly, scrapping with fans and social media influencers, and calling for an immediate rematch against du Plessis.

Most recently, fellow former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker called for a five-round bout against Strickland at the promotion’s next visit to Perth, Australia.

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As part of negotiations to fight atop a monumental UFC 300 card next month in Las Vegas, undisputed light heavyweight champion, Alex Pereira apparently came to an agreement with the organization that should he swiftly defeat Jamahal Hill at the event – he could make a stunning 21-day turnaround against fight atop a UFC 301 pay-per-view card in his native Brazil.

Pereira, a former undisputed middleweight champion and the current undisputed light heavyweight titleholder, is scheduled to make his first attempted defense of that latter belt next month at UFC 300, welcoming ex-champion, Hill back to the Octagon in a high-profile main event slot on the card.

Winning gold back in November against another former gold holder, Jiri Prochazka, Sao Paulo knockout ace, Pereira felled the Czech Republic native with a second round win – with the GLORY Kickboxing Hall of Fame star minting himself as a two-division champion.

Confirming plans to make a hasty return once he deals with Hill at UFC 300, Alex Pereira – according to former lightweight contender, Josh Thomson, has worked out a deal with the Dana White-led organization which would see him fight just 21-days later at UFC 301 in Rio de Janeiro.

Alex Pereira lands deal to fight at UFC 301 in homecoming

“I also heard that if [Alex Pereira] gets out of the Jahamal [Hill fight] at 300, he wants to be on that card [UFC 301],” Thomson said during an episode of WEIGHING IN. “Apparently that was part of his contract negotiation. If he gets the win, and he comes out healthy, that he’s allowed to fight on that card. Yeah, that was part of I guess apparently his agreement to fighting on 300.” 

Confirming plans to make a quickfire comeback less than a month later – potentially against a grappling threat, with fans pointing to a potential clash with Magomed Ankalaev – Alex Pereira confirmed he would be available to fight on the card in a Brazilian homecoming.

“If everything works out, right?” Alex Pereira said on his YouTube channel. “First, I have to win this fight [with Jamahal Hill]. I work with the reality, I can lose, I can win, either can happen. But I’m doing everything I can to leave with a victory. If everything works out, I can do it. I can say to you guys, every fight I’ve done in the UFC, I had the conditions, the ability, to do it.” [H/T MMA Mania]

Currently, UFC 301 at the Jeunesse Arena features an undisputed flyweight title fight between Alexandre Pantoja, and the number ten ranked, Steve Erceg – while Hall of Fame star and former undisputed featherweight champion, Jose Aldo makes his stunning return after almost two years away from the sport. 

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

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Sean Strickland is a complicated figure in mixed martial arts.

Much of the time, the former champion is unapologetic and abrasive. He’s lashed out against individual people and groups of people, at times without any provocation. These traits alone have earned him a certain fan base, but on the flip side, Strickland has also been open about his mental health struggles and traumatic childhood. That’s valuable in a sport where many are dealing with similar issues, yet relatively few are talking about it.

Earlier on Monday, Strickland filmed an update on his mental health for his Instagram, admitting to struggling and feeling “like I’m a danger to people.” He went into detail on “always fighting the demons” and how his success and wealth haven’t fixed the issues.

“All week I’ve been f—ked up, dude,” Strickland began (via MMA Junkie). “I’ve been on the Twitter saying crazy s—t, just f—king spiraling. I woke up and I told my girl, I was like, ‘Babe, I feel like I’m a danger to people. Like I don’t feel like I should be out in the world.’ And I think that – I have everything. I’m rich, I’m famous, I have everything I ever f—king wanted and I am still mentally unwell. I get in these mindsets to where like I want to burn everything down in the world. Like, I want to have nothing, so I can just f—king lose it and just take out everything on people.

“I think that you guys, in a weird way, are like my family. Like I’ve shared some s—t with you guys, and you guys have shared some s—t with me. I feel more connected with my fans than I think most people feel just because we’ve gone through a lot together. I have everything I want, and I still struggle with mental health. My memory is so short that, like, when I go out into this week, I think to myself, like once I get past it, I think to myself, like, ‘Oh, man. That was a really rough time in my life.’ But then when I really think about it, this happens multiple times a month, every month.”

Strickland did conclude his post on a slightly more positive note, doubling down the important of having a physical outlet in training and hoping the best for his fans with similar struggles.

“Again, I don’t know why I’m telling you guys this. I’ve just been kind of going through some sh*t. I’m fine. I’ll be fine. I’m going to go train right now and try to hurt all of my friends, and all of the demons will go away. I just want you guys to know that I have everything I could ever want in the world, and I still struggle. So, whatever you guys are going through man, hope y’all feel better. Go to the gym, train. F—king wish you all the best.”

Sean Strickland’s last appearance in the Octagon came at UFC 297, when he lost a split-decision and his title to Dricus Du Plessis (watch here). Since then, Strickland has requested an instant rematch, but it remains uncertain how the Middleweight division will shake out. It’s still unknown when Strickland will return to action and against whom.

Hopefully, Strickland is in a better place mentally when it’s time to compete again.

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Ex-UFC middleweight world champion Sean Strickland continues to struggle with his mental health.

Over the last two years, ‘Tarzan’ has grown a cult following among fight fans for his energetic hot takes that range from mildly humorous to downright vile. Still, those who tend to disagree with his more extreme views tend to appreciate the fact that he’s essentially an open book — willing to say whatever is on his mind and far from shy when it comes to discussing his troubled youth.

But behind all of the homophobic and politically charged posts is a UFC star who is clearly struggling with his own mental health on a daily basis.

Recently, Strickland took to Instagram where he admitted to feeling “mentally unwell” despite amassing fame, fortune, and the highest level of success when it comes to punching other people in the face for a living.

“I’m always fighting the demons, sometimes I win, sometimes I lose,” Strickland wrote in the original video’s caption. “I lost last week. Anyways I understand a lot of my fans are very similar to me.. Just wanted to share this and remind you you’re not alone and… Don’t be a P lol!”

Sean Strickland feels like he is ‘A danger to people’

“All week I’ve been f*cked up, dude,” Strickland said. “I’ve been on the Twitter saying crazy sh*t, just f*cking spiraling. I woke up and I told my girl that I feel like I’m a danger to people. I don’t feel like I should be out in the world. I have everything — I’m rich, famous, like I have everything I ever f*cking wanted and I’m still mentally unwell and I get in these mindsets where I want to burn everything down in the world.

“I want to have nothing so I can just f*cking lose it and take out everything on people. I think that you guys, in a weird way, are my family. I’ve shared some sh*t with you guys and you’ve shared some sh*t with me. I feel more connected with my fans than I think most people feel just because we’ve gone through a lot together and I have everything I want, but I still struggle.

“My memory is so short that when I get past the week I think, ‘Man, that was a really rough time in my life.’ But when I really think about it, this happens multiple times per month every month. And I don’t know why I’m telling you guys this. I’ve just been going through some sh*t. I’ll be fine. I’m gonna go train right now and try to hurt all my friends and all the demons will go away. I just want you guys to know that I have everything I want in the world and I still struggle. So whatever you guys are going through, I hope you feel better. I f*cking wish you all the best.”

Whether you love him, hate him, or find yourself somewhere in between, you can’t help, but appreciate Strickland’s willingness to put himself out there for the world to see.

If only we could get him to cut down on the gay bashing…

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Ilia Topuria isn’t done basking in the glow of his UFC title win.

Two months after his featherweight championship-winning knockout of Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298, Topuria continues to celebrate as he was swarmed by fans at Tblisi International Airport in Georgia on Monday.

Watch video of the wild scene below, courtesy of Setanta Sports.

Topuria is a man of many nations, having been born in Germany, raised in his parents’ native Georgia, and now currently fighting out of Spain. “El Matador” has proudly flown the flags of Georgia and Spain since making his UFC debut in 2020.

In the video above, Topuria is seen leaning out of a vehicle while greeting as many fans as he can reach. The undefeated fighter is the first UFC champion to represent Georgia.

This isn’t the first taste of widespread admiration Topuria has received as he was also recently feted at Santiago Bernabéu Stadium in Madrid, the home stadium of the world-renowned Real Madrid football club.

Watch more footage of fans in Georgia celebrating Topuria below.

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