Sean Strickland recently recounted the tale of getting arrested during his time in South Africa and how that pivotal incident reignited his MMA career.
The former UFC middleweight champion has earned as much attention for his fighting skill inside the Octagon as for his ability to spark controversy beyond it. With his audacious and unfiltered personality, he's become a well-known figure in the MMA world, regularly voicing provocative opinions on a variety of commonplace issues.
Strickland has consistently found himself at the heart of controversy, entangled in several scandals over the years. From almost being yanked from his short-notice title fight against Israel Adesanya at UFC 293 in Australia, allegedly for assaulting a civilian at Bondi Beach, to receiving a stern warning from UFC CEO Dana White that he could be deported from Canada before his UFC 297 bout with Dricus Du Plessis due to his polarizing views on the LGBTQ community—the 33-year-old Californian's antics have often put him on thin ice.
Strickland Reveals He Ended Retirement To Fight In South Africa To Pay Off Bail Bond
During a recent interview with ESPN MMA, Strickland was asked why he isn't keen on the idea of having his rematch against UFC middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis in the titleholder's homeland of South Africa. "Tarzan" revealed that he visited the country long ago and wasn’t fond of it, which is why he prefers the fight to happen in the United States instead.
The American went on to share that during his time in Durban, he was arrested by the local police for reasons unmentioned and found himself in urgent need of cash to post bail. With limited options, he realized that the quickest way to earn the money was by taking a fight, despite the fact that he had already retired at that point.
Strickland disclosed that he accepted a last-minute bout against Donavin Hawkey at the King of the Cage: Platinum event in November 2010 to quickly secure some cash.
Funny enough, I actually got arrested and had just retired from fighting. I had to pay a bail bondsman, so it was either pay the bail or go to jail. If you need quick cash, what do you do? So, I went and fought this guy named Donavin Hawkey on two weeks’ notice in South Africa just to pay the bondsman not go to jail.
"Tarzan" went on to mention that the fight reignited his passion for MMA.
That’s literally how I got back into MMA. I was bored, broke, living in gyms, and I'm 19 years old, riding a bicycle like a loser, thinking, 'I'm done with this sh*t.' Then I got arrested. I was like, 'Oh sh*t, well, I guess you have to pay the bail bondsman or go back to jail.'
Strickland seized the 185-pound title from Adesanya last September, but his reign was short-lived, as Du Plessis dethroned him this past January. Following his decision win over Paulo Costa at UFC 302 in June, Strickland is eager for a rematch with "Stillknocks".
However, his position as the top contender is precarious, as the winner of the upcoming UFC 308 clash between Robert Whittaker and Khamzat Chimaev could easily leapfrog him in the race for the title shot.