Sean Strickland is without doubt one of the most outspoken fighters in all the UFC, however even he believes there is a restrict to how loopy issues he can say to get consideration.
He appeared no additional than rising heavyweight star Josh Hokit, who’s undefeated within the UFC and is scheduled to struggle Derrick Lewis on June’s UFC White Home card, however the former NFL participant turned fighter has constructed a persona round rehearsed traces and eccentric antics that even Dana White mentioned had been utterly unfunny. Strickland, who faces Khamzat Chimaev in Saturday’s UFC 328 major occasion, took intention at Hokit throughout Tuesday’s media scrum, evaluating the heavyweight prospect to on-line streamers and influencers who will do something to get consideration.
“It is like Josh Hokit. Hey, you are a grown man,” Strickland mentioned. “You are nearly 30 years previous and also you’re treating 13-year-old Jake Paul like shit. Cease it, brother. Nice job. Everybody is aware of who you might be. Cease it. You do not have to interview homeless individuals or do something bizarre. Battle now.”
In fact, Hokit appears to be embracing all the eye he is getting.
Whether or not it is when he rhymes each line throughout press conferences and media day appearances, referencing the nice John Cena of the Tuganomics period, or when he threatens to throw down Jiri Prochaska simply days earlier than each fighters had been scheduled to struggle on the identical card.
It isn’t usually that Hokit places down a efficiency in entrance of somebody, however contemplating he is going through former title challengers like Curtis Blaydes in simply his third struggle for the promotion, and now he is going through Lewis on the UFC White Home card, one thing should be going proper.
Issues do not go effectively in any respect for Strickland.
“What I do not like about Josh is, I’ve met Josh, I’ve skilled with Josh, he is really a really likeable man,” Strickland mentioned. “He got here to the gymnasium. He is a very nice man. Contemplate him my good friend. We comply with one another[on Instagram].
“However in some unspecified time in the future it is such a fabricated picture that it jogs my memory of a WWE skit. I simply need it to go away.”
Strickland might wish to test in on his followers after these feedback, as Hokit wasted no time in accepting his personal problem to the previous UFC middleweight champion.
“Let’s struggle…I am going to present you the distinction between me and Jake Paul,” Hokit wrote on Twitter.
“(Sean) Strickland, complaining about your persona is sort of a circus clown complaining about too many balloons. You are solely mad as a result of my WWE skits get higher critiques than your persona.”
