Is Sean Strickland the only UFC guy who goes harder in sparring than he does in an actual fight?

BigDanStudd

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I mean what the hell was that? Leading up to the fight we're seeing all these videos of him sparring hard and fearlessly, screaming at teammates to brawl with him. We're hearing all these stories about what a maniac he is, how he's constantly going hard all the time in training... and then in the main event of a UFC event he suddenly thinks he's Larry Holmes and fights like that? WTF? Massive let down after all the momentum he had going.

Seems like you're safer actually fighting the guy then you are having a friendly spar with him.
 
Why take any risks when your opponent can't force you into any dangerous spots? Sean has comfortably won his last few fights. That's a good thing. Props to him.
Kind of agree, here, although I'm sure this is a very unpopular opinion. Hermansson was hitting air all night, and Strickland kept his composure, looked pretty calculated. I thought he fought very intelligently. It wasn't the most entertaining bout, but he avoided all the takedowns, kept Hermansson at bay, made him miss aplenty, and jabbed his face all night.

So, why going harder in sparring than in that actual fight? Because the stakes are not the same, and this win is his first against a real top MW. So the guy was a hot prospect coming into that fight, now he's moved into the top dogs' lane, and another win against a top opponent could very well lead him to a title shot. Not that I would be very excited about that, but I understand why he took this approach.
 
It's almost as if "training footage" is leaked online to make you seem great.

And no, it's not "fake" to do so.
 
It's because we don't have to the full sparring footage. He is always watching the clock then he ramps it up during the last 30 seconds. I think the talking/screaming messes with people's pace and concentration.
 
I mean what the hell was that? Leading up to the fight we're seeing all these videos of him sparring hard and fearlessly, screaming at teammates to brawl with him. We're hearing all these stories about what a maniac he is, how he's constantly going hard all the time in training... and then in the main event of a UFC event he suddenly thinks he's Larry Holmes and fights like that? WTF? Massive let down after all the momentum he had going.

Seems like you're safer actually fighting the guy then you are having a friendly spar with him.


Headcases tend to be predictable, and Strickland is no exception. The ultimate headcase fight was Strickland vs Uriah Hall. You never know how those guys' nerves are going to affect them in the cage.
 
Why take any risks when your opponent can't force you into any dangerous spots? Sean has comfortably won his last few fights. That's a good thing. Props to him.
Aye. And comfortably beating Uriah Hall **on the feet** is no small feat. And he didn't get into grappling danger with Hermansson. This last fight wasn't exciting, but it showed that it's very hard to dictate where and how you want to fight this guy.
 
He seemed not to want take any riskis during that last fight. Well before the end of the 5th round that is.

Why take any risks when your opponent can't force you into any dangerous spots? Sean has comfortably won his last few fights. That's a good thing. Props to him.

he probably doesn't spar hard when there's no camera

Yes well, my theory regarding Stricklands fighting style is that he always points out how much he spars, right? That he's sparring all the time. To spar as much as he does one would have to take minimal damage in sparring.

He's basically stuck in sparring mode when he actually fights. Sparring is his life lol. Hard to make that switch when it's time to go.

So to answer TS: No. Strickland actually fights to the exact same level of his sparring sessions. It's up to his opponents to disrupt that.

 
I mean what the hell was that? Leading up to the fight we're seeing all these videos of him sparring hard and fearlessly, screaming at teammates to brawl with him. We're hearing all these stories about what a maniac he is, how he's constantly going hard all the time in training... and then in the main event of a UFC event he suddenly thinks he's Larry Holmes and fights like that? WTF? Massive let down after all the momentum he had going.

Seems like you're safer actually fighting the guy then you are having a friendly spar with him.
It's almost like he's all talk and completely making up the psycho persona and isn't really much of a killer at all.
 
Why take any risks when your opponent can't force you into any dangerous spots? Sean has comfortably won his last few fights. That's a good thing. Props to him.
good on his wins but i won't be surprised when a fighter that doesn't fight apprehensively gets the nod for the title that he's chasing. no risk no reward.
 
Why take any risks when your opponent can't force you into any dangerous spots? Sean has comfortably won his last few fights. That's a good thing. Props to him.
Yes.

But maybe shut up about this wanting to kill somebody in the octagon part. Especially when your number 1 game plan is the jab.
 
Aye. And comfortably beating Uriah Hall **on the feet** is no small feat. And he didn't get into grappling danger with Hermansson. This last fight wasn't exciting, but it showed that it's very hard to dictate where and how you want to fight this guy.

Sean may seem more intense in training but that's accentuated by his mouth always running. In fights, it isn't the same. He's more calculated and he should be considering the stakes involved for him monetarily (win bonus, better pay and escalating pay scale with consecutive wins). If both Hermansson and Hall cannot force him into a disadvantageous spot in a fist fight because they're not good enough to get him into a bad spot, why should he push forward recklessly into a different range to put himself in trouble? He fights at that range and looks to control distance for a reason.

I would also like to mention that both Hall and Hermansson who are his biggest wins are good fighters and the better the competition, the harder it is to get a finish. I think it's more impressive that he basically pitched a shutout against both.
 
Why take any risks when your opponent can't force you into any dangerous spots? Sean has comfortably won his last few fights. That's a good thing. Props to him.

I don't fault him for that performance. Very solid against a very strong Hermansson. But for all the bravado and shit talk, you got to back that up with real violence for that style of self promotion to stick.

Talking about wanting to kill people in the cage, playing super safe, then calling on Hermansson with 10 seconds left even though it was Hermansson doing all the chasing? Come on...

<{hughesimpress}>
 
I hope he gets the title shot

Robert would put it on him, force him to fight and break him

Izzy would school the fuck outta him.

Either way it will be funny to see him have to go back to the drawing board.
 
I don't fault him for that performance. Very solid against a very strong Hermansson. But for all the bravado and shit talk, you got to back that up with real violence for that style of self promotion to stick.

Talking about wanting to kill people in the cage, playing super safe, then calling on Hermansson with 10 seconds left even though it was Hermansson doing all the chasing? Come on...

<{hughesimpress}>

He's doing what countless others have done. Colby talks about ending careers and hasn't gotten a finish in years. Conor is talking about killing people and hasn't been able to get out of the second round for a few years. These guys are going to market themselves how they think is right. As long as Sean isn't attacking people's families, wives or something personal it's a nothing burger to me.
 
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