Reigning UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland has spoken about his childhood trauma of seeing his dad threaten his mom with violence – And rival Dricus Du Plessis has responded.
Strickland is set to fight challenger South African Dricus du Plessis in Toronto, Canada, on the 21st of this this month.
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Two weeks to go before middleweight champ ????@SStricklandMMA and ????????@DricusDuPlessis will finally lock horns inside the Octagon!
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— UFC_Asia (@UFC_Asia) January 7, 2024He has been known for losing his cool and recently attacked Du Plessis at a media conference with fists flying.
But weeks later, fans saw a different side of Strickland where he broke down on This Past Weekend with Theo Von.
He discussed his childhood trauma and some of the unconscionable horrors he faced growing up with an abusive father.
He shared his past life trauma describing how he wanted to protect his mom.
The 2 minutes leading up the moment he broke down.
After listening to this, anyone making fun of Sean Strickland for crying after telling this story is a loser. pic.twitter.com/rUe8E2dDlC
— Homelander MMA (@HomelanderMMA) January 4, 2024(WARNING: Graphic detail below).
He described the trauma of when his dad became abusive.
“I was probably in third or fourth grade, I used to always sleep in my mum’s room because I thought my dad was going to kill her”.
“So I would sleep by the door, I’d sleep under the bed because I thought my dad was going to kill my mom.”
Strickland added: “One day, they just got into a bad fight, it was like third, fourth grade, my dad was like ‘f** that he’s not sleeping in here tonight, kick him out’.
“So I’m like the army crawling under the bed, and I’m sleeping there. I’m like laying under the bed as they’re fighting, because I think my dad was going to kill my mom”.
“My dad gets on top of my mom, and I remember he said, ‘I’m going to kill you tonight’ I’m under the bed, and he starts strangling her. I get out, and the only thing I can see is a guitar, I just crack him in the head and call the cops”.
ALSO READ: Up close and personal with South African mixed martial arts champ Dricus du Plessis
Du Plessis has responded in an interview with MMA On Point:
“I didn’t watch [Strickland’s comments] and I don’t think I will,” du Plessis said. “Watching a grown man cry in an interview, it’s not really my watch material. But it is what it is. I’m glad he cried and he got it out. I hope that’s the end of that”.
“I think we give him a lot more credit than he deserves in terms of mindset. I don’t think he thinks about anything. I think he goes out there and he fights, he fights the way Sean Strickland fights. He always has and he’s an incredible fighter,
But Du Plessis says it doesn’t end there.
“You didn’t deserve that as a kid, but as a grown man, you dish it out, and you’re going to get it. That is the way the world works, unfortunately.
“My mindset, I don’t care about him. I care about me, what I do, what I go out there to do, and that is to become the world champ”.
But Du Plessis says it doesn’t end there.
“You didn’t deserve that as a kid, but as a grown man, you dish it out, and you’re going to get it. That is the way the world works, unfortunately.
“My mindset, I don’t care about him. I care about me, what I do, what I go out there to do, and that is to become the world champ”.
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