Daniel Cormier urges people to take seriously Sean Strickland’s vents on mental health.
Former UFC middleweight champion Strickland (28-6 MMA, 15-6 UFC) recently opened up about his mental health struggles and claimed he was “mentally unwell” and a “danger to people.”
Strickland has been vocal about his childhood trauma in the past, and Cormier thinks his constant statements about his mental health is a cause for concern.
“Sean Strickland is a guy that has a very, very dark past,” Cormier said on his YouTube channel. “We all know that. But that dark past has served to make him a world-champion fighter and a guy that is willing to go through so much adversity. Go through so many ups and downs, never lose sight of the goal and what’s in front of him, and has made himself a former world champion. …He said that he’s rich, and still can’t get past the hurdles mentally. I want to make sure that, we as the consumer, treat this in the same manner, in which we treated Alexander Volkanovski when he spoke about his issues mentally.
“When speaking mental health and mental issues, I believe that all the biases or the opinions we have of this certain fighter whether you love him or you hate him, have to take a back seat and we have to look at the human being. When Volk said he was in his own head, we all rushed to speak to him, his strength, and how much anyone was willing to help. We need to make sure we do the same thing for Sean Strickland. …That’s a plea for help. So we as the mixed martial arts community, should rush to his side again. Just like we did for Alexander Volkanovski.”
Strickland is currently campaigning for an immediate rematch with Dricus Du Plessis, who dethroned him with a close decision win to claim the middleweight title at UFC 297 in January.
