This weekend, Sean Strickland is slated to fight Uriah Hall in a contest that could see him elevated to contender, or relegated back to the ranks where he has spent the entirety of his 13-year MMA career.
It’s a tantalizing thought, mostly because Strickland is such an exceptionally weird fighter. The way he stands, the way he punches, the way he talks—everything Strickland does seems designed to invite trouble.
I call him a “young veteran,” because that’s what he was for most of his career. Strickland started MMA training at 14, and by 17 he was fighting grown men for money.