Despite a recent loss, Sean Strickland still has potential opponents in mind and is particularly keen on challenging Belal Muhammad. Muhammad has frequently criticized Strickland in the past, even calling him a “coward.” When asked about his next fight, Strickland recalled Muhammad`s taunts, noting Muhammad`s recent loss to Jack Della Maddalena.
Speaking to Helen Yee, Strickland directly addressed Muhammad: “A fight with Belal would be fun. Belal, man, grow a pair. This is your chance. All that talk you did, we can finally make it happen. You lost your shot, I got beaten up. We should definitely make that fight happen, Belal. It would be a good one.”
Strickland clarified the weight class: “You`d have to come up to middleweight. I`m 230 pounds; I`m not cutting down to welterweight anymore. But it would be a great match. He`s claimed on Instagram he`d come up to fight me, talked about how he`d do this and that. Now`s his chance, you coward. Do it for Palestine.”
Strickland`s recent record includes two losses in his last three fights, both against Dricus du Plessis, following his championship win over Israel Adesanya at UFC 293. The 34-year-old is ready to return and was interested in fighting Reinier de Ridder after de Ridder`s win over Bo Nickal.
However, de Ridder is already booked against Robert Whittaker. Strickland also mentioned being offered a fight against another top middleweight but declined, stating the other fighter also wasn`t interested.
Explaining his refusal of the other offer, Strickland said, “I wanted to fight de Ridder, but Mick Maynard suggested Caio Borralho. He`s a great guy, but I turned it down. Actually, we both kind of said no. It`s strange because I know him – I know his wife, his family.”
He elaborated on the awkwardness: “Imagine being at a press conference like, `Hey Caio, how`s the baby? He`s turning two?` It`s just awkward when you know someone and their family. That`s not enjoyable.”
Concluding his thoughts on de Ridder, Strickland stated, “But that de Ridder fight… that would be excellent. He`s a jiu-jitsu guy, he beat Bo Nickal – who`s a complete coward. That would be a fantastic fight.”
