UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland has admitted that he had doubts heading into the UFC 328 title fight last night.
On Saturday, Sean Strickland defeated Khamzat Chimaev to become a two-time UFC middleweight champion. It was a pretty huge upset in the eyes of many fans, and while Sean himself may not care too much about the actual belt, it’s an incredible accomplishment for someone who has often been overlooked by the mixed martial arts community.
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Of course, Strickland was not expected to win the contest by many, with Chimaev being the favorite given his dominant style and unbeaten record. In the end, though, the American was able to grit it out and overcome the odds.
In a podcast appearance after the fight, Strickland had the following to say about how he felt leading up to UFC 328.
Strickland admits doubts ahead of UFC 328
“Let me tell you, every fight I’ve ever had, 30-40 minutes before the fight I think I’m gonna lose, every fight. I just go in there and fight. Yeah, (I’m being serious), I’ve never thought I was gonna win a fight.
“You’ve just got to be the man you wanna be, just because you think, like, how do you prove you’re enough? You do it. I’ve never thought I would ever win a fight.”
“We all kind of have this voice in our head like, you don’t think there’s a voice in my head that sees a big angry Chechen with a beard, you see him just run through everybody in the division. You don’t think I have a voice in my head saying, ‘oh s—, oh s—‘, we all have that voice.
“You just sack the f— up and be the man you want to be.”
Quotes via Bloody Elbow
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