UFC middleweight contender Sean Strickland has come under fire for a viral video of him punching an apparent former Navy SEAL during sparring.
The veteran Navy Seal, named Mitch, entered a cage with the former UFC middleweight champion and took a beating for 25 minutes.
Strickland was seen pummeling Mitch with punches and kicking him in the legs as he struggled to breathe. While some comments debated the legitimacy of his Navy Seal training, others were quick to criticize Strickland for “messing with” a civilian.
“This guy is trash,” wrote one user.
“Is this how you show our military respect?” added another.
Fans slammed Sean Strickland after a video of him punching a former Navy SEAL went viral
A third user said: “You’d think an uneducated hick would appreciate the military.”
Meanwhile, a fourth suggested: “Now let’s watch Sean Strickland fight in the navy for 25 minutes.”
“Sean beats up everyone except UFC fighters LOL,” a fifth joked.
Strickland has previously challenged former Navy Seal Jason Pike, who claimed he could injure an MMA fighter in a street fight. However, his criticism on social media went unanswered.
Strickland went on to criticize Navy Seals in a video saying, “I don’t think there’s a single damn Navy Seal that could survive a week of training with me.”
Former UFC middleweight champion’s training video sparked outrage on social media
Despite the one-sided beating, Strickland showed his respect for Mitch. After ‘Tarzan’ said, ‘I don’t want to knock you out, I want you to give up,’ his bloodied sparring partner made it to the final bell.
“Navy Seals, I stand corrected,” Strickland tells the camera. “You have my full respect, you have not given up.”
“I had no illusions about winning this fight,” Mitch said after the session. “Sean is the man.”
Strickland has a record of 29-6 in MMA and 16-6 in the UFC. In his last three fights, he won the UFC middleweight title from Israel Adesanya, lost it to current champion Dricus Du Plessis and bounced back in a title eliminator against Paulo Costa.
With his unique striking technique, Strickland has a record of 29-6 in MMA and 16-6 in the UFC.
Strickland won the UFC middleweight title against Israel Adesanya at UFC 293 in September.
Strickland lost the title to Dricus Du Plessis in January before beating Paulo Costa in June.
He is currently ranked as the number one contender in the 185-pound division.
Prior to facing Mitch, Strickland sparred against former K-1 super lightweight champion Rukiya Anpo during a trip to Japan. In February, he also beat up social media creator Sneako.
“I took the challenge and lost,” Strickland wrote in X’s video. “Mitch was a solid guy. Actually, one of the real ones. Joe Rogan needs this man on his podcast. He’s one of us.”