Attempting to take down Sean Strickland isn’t always a good idea. Tarzan has a 77% takedown defense in the UFC and the numbers are better against an ordinary Joe… and one snowboarder learned that the hard way.
Days after losing the UFC middleweight championship to Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 297, Sean Strickland was seen at a Las Vegas ski resort.
That was big news because while the winner Plessis was still at the hospital getting treated for his battle wounds, Strickland was already enjoying his vacation. It also somewhat proves Strickland’s claim that the judges screwed up the scorecards. But that’s another story.
While at the Lee Canyon resort, Strickland got too close to an ordinary snowboarder. Whether the guy was a fan or whatever, he got physical with the former UFC 185-pound champion and found himself ‘fighting’ for his life.
In the video, Strickland and the snowboarder looked like they were doing a friendly grappling session in the middle of the snow while in complete snow gear.
The guy suddenly went for a single-leg takedown which caught Strickland by surprise. To his credit, he put Tarzan on one knee, but Strickland’s solid takedown defence withstood the takedown attempt and he was able to grab the man’s head, reverse the position, and put him in a chokehold.
It’s unclear if the snowboarder passed out or what because the video ended. But regardless of what happened next, it’s always not wise to try to take down Sean Strickland, even outside the UFC Octagon.
Strickland’s takedown defence, however, failed him in the Du Plessis bout and that’s likely what the judges saw. The new champion completed six out of 11 takedowns to offset the 183-140 difference in total strikes landed in favour of Strickland.
The two engaged in a hard-fought brawl in the main event of UFC 297. After five rounds, the judges had Du Plessis winning via split decision with Judges Derek Cleary and Eric Colon scoring the bout 48-47 in favour of Du Plessis and Sal D’Amato giving the nod to Strickland 48-47.
With the win Du Plessis became the new UFC middleweight champion but as we saw after the event, the winner absorbed more damage. That was evident, not only in the fight stats but with Strickland enjoying Las Vegas just days after the fight while Du Plessis was still in the hospital recovering from injuries.