It didn’t take long for Luke Rockhold to get a response from Sean Strickland.
Rockhold (16-6 MMA, 6-5 UFC) recently criticized Strickland’s fighting style and performance at Saturday’s UFC 302. Not only that, but he went a step further and said he’d like to get in the octagon and fight Strickland (29-6 MMA, 16-6 UFC).
Strickland took to X to fire back. It looks like he’s interested in fighting Rockhold and would do it at Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas rather than the UFC.
“Couple things… I sparred you 1 round, f*cked you up, and you snuck away like a b*tch. This was witnessed,” Strickland wrote. “Also, we were scheduled to fight. I said, ‘Hell yeah, that’s an easy paycheck,’ and you pulled out a few weeks out… Xtreme? I’ll f*ck you up for fun lol.”
Couple things… I sparred you 1 round, fucked you up and you snuck away like a bitch. This was witnessed
Also we were scheduled to fight. I said "hell yeah that's a easy paycheck"
And you pulled out a few weeks out…
Xtreme? I'll fuck you up for fun lol https://t.co/8QcDb3oZpj
— Sean Strickland (@SStricklandMMA) June 5, 2024
Rockhold, a former UFC middleweight champion, is currently not with the UFC. He fought out his contract in 2022 after a Fight of the Night loss to Paulo Costa. Rockhold fought the following year with BKFC and suffered a TKO loss to Mike Perry. After some period of inactivity, Rockhold returned this past April to pick up a KO win over Joe Schilling at Karate Combat 45.
Strickland, also a former middleweight champion, is coming off the split decision over Costa, which put him back in the win column. He was outpointed by Dricus Du Plessis earlier this year, losing his UFC middleweight title.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 302.
