UFC star Sean Strickland knows a thing or two about taking punishment.
A left hook from Alex Pereira flattened him at UFC 276 and now Israel Adesanya will be aiming to do the same in the main event of this Sunday’s fight card in Sydney.
But before getting inside the octagon, Strickland has been immersing himself in Australian culture, getting to know Sydneysiders and even punching one on the streets of Bondi.
This weekend’s UFC 293 card coincides with the first weekend of NRL finals action and Strickland got his first look at some brutal tackles from the NRL to help him learn the sport. His reaction was everything you would expect.
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“I don’t know much about rugby but every rugby player I’ve met, they’re f***ing hooligans. I f***ing love them,” Strickland said, before being shown vision of Raiders prop Joseph Tapine levelling Reece Walsh in the final moments of Canberra’s loss to Brisbane.
“Is he grabbing his d***,” Strickland said.
“Man, Izzy is going to switch to this sport. It was a good hit minus the d*** grab. In America they’d give you a flag, say you have CTE and retire you.
“… Here’s the thing. You Aussies, from what I’ve learned of your culture, this should be played by everybody. We need more of this in our life.”
Strickland is clearly a fan. You can catch Strickland’s full reaction in the video player at the top of the story.