History of Sean Strickland in Timeline

Sean Strickland is an American professional mixed martial artist currently competing in the UFC's Middleweight division. He is a former UFC Middleweight Champion and a former King of the Cage Middleweight Champion. Strickland has been a professional MMA fighter since 2008 and, as of August 2025, is ranked #3 in the UFC middleweight rankings.

Sections (4)

Full Timeline Career & Achievements Success & Recognition Challenges & Struggles

February 27, 1991: Sean Strickland Born

On February 27, 1991, Sean Thomas Strickland was born. He is an American professional mixed martial artist.

Others born on this day/year

2008: Professional Debut

In 2008, Sean Strickland made his professional debut in King of the Cage (KOTC).

December 9, 2012: King of the Cage Middleweight Champion

On December 9, 2012, Sean Strickland faced Josh Bryant and won the King of the Cage Middleweight Championship at KOTC: Unification via split decision.

March 15, 2014: UFC Debut

On March 15, 2014, Sean Strickland made his UFC debut at UFC 171 against Bubba McDaniel, winning via rear-naked choke submission in the first round.

May 31, 2014: UFC Fight Night 41 Win

On May 31, 2014, Sean Strickland won against Luke Barnatt at UFC Fight Night 41 via split decision, although media outlets scored the bout in favor of Barnatt.

February 22, 2015: Loss to Santiago Ponzinibbio

On February 22, 2015, at UFC Fight Night 61, Sean Strickland faced Santiago Ponzinibbio in a welterweight bout and lost via unanimous decision.

July 15, 2015: Victory over Igor Araújo

On July 15, 2015, at UFC Fight Night 71, Sean Strickland fought Igor Araújo and won by unanimous decision.

February 21, 2016: TKO Victory Against Alex Garcia

On February 21, 2016, at UFC Fight Night 83, Sean Strickland defeated Alex Garcia via TKO in the third round after a competitive first two rounds.

June 4, 2016: Split Decision Win Against Tom Breese

On June 4, 2016, at UFC 199, Sean Strickland won against Tom Breese by split decision.

August 20, 2016: Pulled from Fight Against Tim Means

On August 20, 2016, Sean Strickland was scheduled to fight Tim Means at UFC 202, but he withdrew due to a knee injury and was replaced by Sabah Homasi.

April 8, 2017: Loss to Kamaru Usman at UFC 210

On April 8, 2017, Sean Strickland faced Kamaru Usman at UFC 210 and lost via unanimous decision.

November 11, 2017: Unanimous Decision Win over Court McGee After Scorecard Error

On November 11, 2017, at UFC Fight Night 120, Sean Strickland faced Court McGee. The fight was initially announced as a majority draw but was later corrected to a unanimous decision win for Strickland due to a scoring error.

May 12, 2018: Knockout Loss to Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos

On May 12, 2018, Sean Strickland faced Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos at UFC 224 and lost the fight via knockout in the first round.

October 27, 2018: TKO Victory over Nordine Taleb

On October 27, 2018, Sean Strickland defeated Nordine Taleb via technical knockout in the second round at UFC Fight Night 138. Strickland became a free agent after this fight.

October 31, 2020: Unanimous Decision Win Against Jack Marshman

On October 31, 2020, Sean Strickland was scheduled to face Wellington Turman at UFC Fight Night 181, but Turman pulled out. Strickland then faced Jack Marshman at catchweight and won via unanimous decision. Marshman was fined 20% of his purse for missing weight.

November 14, 2020: TKO Victory and Performance of the Night Award

On November 14, 2020, Sean Strickland replaced Ian Heinisch and faced Brendan Allen in a 195 lb catchweight bout at UFC Fight Night: Felder vs. dos Anjos. He won the fight via technical knockout and earned the Performance of the Night award.

May 1, 2021: Unanimous Decision Victory Over Krzysztof Jotko

On May 1, 2021, Sean Strickland faced Krzysztof Jotko at UFC on ESPN: Reyes vs. Procházka and won the bout via unanimous decision.

June 4, 2021: Uriah Hall Fight Moved

On June 4, 2021, Sean Strickland's bout with Uriah Hall was moved to headline UFC on ESPN 28 on July 31, 2021.

July 31, 2021: Unanimous Decision Victory Over Uriah Hall

On July 31, 2021, Sean Strickland defeated Uriah Hall via unanimous decision at UFC on ESPN 28.

August 7, 2021: Scheduled Fight with Uriah Hall at UFC 265

Sean Strickland was initially scheduled to face Uriah Hall on August 7, 2021, at UFC 265, but the fight was later moved.

November 6, 2021: Scheduled Fight with Luke Rockhold Cancelled

On November 6, 2021, Sean Strickland was scheduled to face Luke Rockhold at UFC 268, but Rockhold withdrew due to a herniated disc.

February 5, 2022: Split Decision Win Over Jack Hermansson

On February 5, 2022, Sean Strickland won against Jack Hermansson at UFC Fight Night 200 via split decision. The decision was controversial, with widespread media disagreement.

July 2, 2022: Knockout Loss to Alex Pereira

On July 2, 2022, Sean Strickland faced Alex Pereira at UFC 276 and lost the fight via knockout in the first round.

July 30, 2022: Scheduled Fight Against Alex Pereira

On July 30, 2022, Sean Strickland was initially scheduled to face Alex Pereira at UFC 277; however the fight was moved to an earlier date.

October 15, 2022: Fight Against Jared Cannonier Scrapped

On October 15, 2022, Sean Strickland was scheduled to face Jared Cannonier at UFC Fight Night 212, but the bout was cancelled due to a finger infection Strickland had.

December 17, 2022: Split Decision Loss to Jared Cannonier

On December 17, 2022, Sean Strickland faced Jared Cannonier at UFC Fight Night 216 and lost the fight via split decision.

January 14, 2023: Unanimous Decision Win Against Nassourdine Imavov

On January 14, 2023, Sean Strickland replaced Kelvin Gastelum and faced Nassourdine Imavov in a light heavyweight bout at UFC Fight Night: Strickland vs. Imavov. He won the fight via unanimous decision.

July 1, 2023: TKO Victory and Performance of the Night

On July 1, 2023, Sean Strickland defeated Abusupiyan Magomedov via TKO in the second round at UFC on ESPN 48, earning the Performance of the Night award.

September 10, 2023: UFC Middleweight Championship Victory

On September 10, 2023, Sean Strickland faced Israel Adesanya at UFC 293 and won the UFC Middleweight Championship via unanimous decision, considered a major upset. He also earned his third Performance of the Night bonus award.

December 16, 2023: Altercation with Dricus du Plessis at UFC 296

On December 16, 2023, Sean Strickland attacked Dricus du Plessis at UFC 296 after exchanging words. The brawl was quickly broken up, and Strickland was escorted out of the event.

January 20, 2024: Title Defense Loss and Fight of the Night Award

On January 20, 2024, Sean Strickland had his first title defense against Dricus du Plessis at UFC 297, losing via split decision. This fight earned him the Fight of the Night award.

June 1, 2024: Split Decision Victory Against Paulo Costa

On June 1, 2024, Sean Strickland faced Paulo Costa at UFC 302 and won the fight by split decision.

2024: Father's Death

In 2024, Sean Strickland revealed on the This Past Weekend podcast that his father had passed away from cancer, following a long-term struggle with drug addiction.

February 9, 2025: Loss to Dricus du Plessis

On February 9, 2025, Sean Strickland competed for the UFC Middleweight Championship in a rematch against current champion Dricus du Plessis at UFC 312. He lost the fight by unanimous decision.

February 2025: Questioning Support for Donald Trump

In February 2025, Sean Strickland questioned some of Donald Trump's pro-Israel views and began wondering if it was a "mistake" to re-elect him, despite being a supporter in the past.

June 19, 2025: Statement on US Foreign Policy

On June 19, 2025, Sean Strickland made a statement on Twitter, discussing the reasons behind anti-US sentiment from countries like Iran, citing US involvement in past operations in Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Syria.

June 29, 2025: Involvement in Melee at Tuff-N-Uff Event

On June 29, 2025, Sean Strickland was involved in a physical altercation at a Tuff-N-Uff event after Luis Hernandez taunted Miles Hunsinger's coaches. This led to a temporary suspension.

July 3, 2025: NSAC Indefinite Suspension

On July 3, 2025, Sean Strickland was indefinitely suspended by the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC).

August 19, 2025: UFC Middleweight Ranking

As of August 19, 2025, Sean Strickland is ranked #3 in the UFC middleweight rankings.

October 2025: Marriage

In October 2025, Sean Strickland got married.

December 29, 2025: NSAC Suspension Expiration

On December 29, 2025, Sean Strickland's six-month suspension from the NSAC expired. The suspension was retroactive from the time of the incident in June.

February 21, 2026: TKO Victory Against Anthony Hernandez

On February 21, 2026, Sean Strickland faced Anthony Hernandez at UFC Fight Night 267 and won by technical knockout in the third round, ending Hernandez's eight‑fight win streak. Strickland was also awarded a $100,000 Performance of the Night award for this fight.