Sean Strickland on Short Notice Win: ‘I Feel Like I Earned My Paycheck This Time’

After back-to-back losses to close out 2022, Sean Strickland accepted a short-notice fight against Nassourdine Imavov at the UFC’s first event of 2023.

It wasn’t the most ideal of circumstances for someone badly in need of a victory, but Strickland emerged with a unanimous decision triumph against Imavov in the UFC fight Night 217 headliner on Saturday night in Las Vegas. Since Strickland accepted the fight on less than one week’s notice, the bout was contested at light heavyweight instead of middleweight.

“I got paid flat money just to go fight,” Strickland said at the post-fight press conference. “It was fun. It was nice.”

The former King of the Cage champion emerged as a person of interest at 185 pounds after compiling a six-bout winning streak from October 2018 to February 2022. That momentum slowed, however, when he dropped consecutive fights against Alex Pereira and Jared Cannonier. The second of those, a decision defeat to Cannonier in the UFC Fight Night 216 headliner, convinced Strickland to adopt a different approach against Imavov.

“If I wanted to dance around and not get hit and just outpoint the man, I could’ve,” he said. “But I was like, ‘You fought like a bitch your last fight, you did that and you lost.’ Might as well f—ing get some brain damage, do a little man dance and see what happens.”

Imavov had his moments during the five-round affair, so Strickland was a little bit nervous as the final scorecards were announced.

“I was f—ing scared s—tless,” Strickland said. “These judges, you guys, you don’t know. Maybe I had a little blood on my face and they saw that. Who knows these things?”

As it turned out, Strickland was able to enjoy his first victory since February 2022. And it sounds like he won’t be opposed to making another relatively quick turnaround if the opportunity arises.

“I got some brain damage this fight. It feels good to get hit in the head. I feel like I earned my f—ing paycheck this time,” Strickland said. “Last time [against Cannonier] I didn’t really get hit. This time I took some damage. Give me a few weeks, let me collect the brain again. I’m a f—ing dog, you point me in the direction, pay me f—ing money and tell me to bite and I’ll f—ing do it.”

Strickland was on the verge of a title shot when he fell to the current 185-pound champ, Peireira at UFC 276. While a belt would be nice, it isn’t necessarily the primary objective for Strickland.

“It would be fun to work up to a belt. I’m a company man,” he said. “I’m a highly paid f—ing prostitute. They pay me well. I know who I am, I know what I am. I’m a f—ing dog. Just f—ing pay me and I’ll fight. I don’t give a f—k. “