Former UFC champion Sean Strickland may be weeks away from returning to the Octagon for the first time since UFC 312. Strickland lost by unanimous decision to Dricus du Plessis before receiving a lengthy suspension from the Nevada State Athletic Commission for an incident at a local MMA event.
As Strickland’s return approaches, he has one name in mind for his comeback fight: Anthony Hernandez. Hernandez and Strickland are two of the top middleweight contenders, especially after Hernandez’s dominant win over Roman Dolidze earlier this year.
But Strickland has reportedly turned down a return date for UFC 325 in Australia due to the upcoming Alexander Volkanovski vs. Diego Lopes 2 card, and the reasoning is strange.
Sean Strickland has refused to fight in Australia despite two previous title fights in the country
In a recent one Instagram post, Strickland explained why he turned down a fight at UFC 325.
“Good news, my suspension ends in 10 days, I’m so excited,” Strickland said.
“Was the suspension bad? Yes, it was bad. I said no to the Australian card, I love you guys, but I don’t have health insurance… Fluffy doesn’t want to do it, I don’t want to do it, we’re not doing it. Let’s settle this in the States.
“The middleweight division is on the ice. You’ve got Chimaev the little w—. He’s got Ramadan, then he’s going to have surgery, then in a year he’s going to fight Nassourdine and just put him on dry land.”
“The middleweight division doesn’t exist,” Strickland continued. “I would be better off trying to fight for a 205 belt than the middleweight belt.”
Strickland is looking to get back on track after losing in two of his last three fights against du Plessis. His last victory came against Paulo Costa at UFC 303 last year.
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