Sean Strickland has set his sights on Belal Muhammad as his next opponent, signaling his intention to return to contention in the middleweight division.
The former UFC middleweight champion recently suffered his second consecutive loss in a rematch against Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 312 earlier this year.
Since that bout, Strickland has continued to generate controversy within the UFC community. He notably faced widespread criticism after a widely publicized, contentious sparring session with a social media personality.
Following his unsuccessful bid to reclaim the title from ‘Stillknocks’, Strickland strangely initiated a public disagreement with his coach, Eric Nicksick, hinting at the possibility of removing him from his corner team moving forward.
Strickland Challenges Belal Muhammad After UFC 315
Last Saturday, Belal Muhammad`s tenure as welterweight champion came to an end when he was defeated by Jack Della Maddalena.
Prior to that fight, ‘Remember The Name’ had suggested a potential future move up to the middleweight division to challenge for a title there.
UFC President Dana White recently confirmed that Du Plessis is scheduled to defend his middleweight title against Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 319.
Strickland and Muhammad have previously exchanged words online. Strickland believes now is the opportune time for them to finally settle their differences inside the octagon.
“I mean, Belal would be a fun fight, that’d be a fun one,” Strickland told Helen Yee. “Belal, you should finally sack up, dog. This is it, you can finally stack the f*** up, dude, all that sh** you talked, we can finally make it happen.
“You lost your belt, you kind of got f***ed up, I got f***ed up, we should make that fight happen, Belal. That would be a good one, right? You can come up to middleweight. He said he would (come up to middleweight). All that sh** he talked on Instagram like ‘I’m gonna come fight you, I’m gonna do this’, now you can you pu***, do it for Palestine,” Strickland continued.
Strickland Discloses Current Weight
Despite maintaining year-round training, Strickland appears visibly larger than in the past, seemingly enjoying the period without an immediate fight commitment.
He revealed his current weight stands at 230 lbs, admitting he feels ‘a little fat’. This weight is typically the walk-around weight for a light heavyweight fighter before cutting down to the 205 lbs limit.
Facing a significant weight cut to return to the middleweight division, Strickland will likely have several potential opponent options to consider for his next bout.
Former UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya recently indicated his desire for a rematch against Strickland, following his surprising title loss to him.
Rupert Hartwell