Former champion says ‘overachiever’ label isn’t an insult for Sean Strickland
Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC Michael Bisping has said that Sean Strickland’s career has already surpassed any reasonable expectations for him in the sport. The outspoken American middleweight is getting ready for his second attempt at becoming a two-time UFC champion. Following back-to-back losses to Dricus du Plessis, Strickland got back on track with a dominant win over Anthony Hernandez at UFC Houston, earning himself a title shot against Khamzat Chimaev.
And according to Bisping, even if he can’t get the better of ‘Borz’, Strickland has still achieved more than what might have been expected from his skill set. Michael Bisping explains why he sees Sean Strickland as an ‘overachiever’ Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC Strickland is set to take on Chimaev at UFC 328, becoming the latest challenger aiming to hand the undefeated Chechen his first loss in professional MMA. Bisping, who once held the middleweight title himself, recently discussed the upcoming main event with fellow legend Demetrious Johnson on the JAXXON PODCAST.
Having pulled off his own shock title win over Luke Rockhold in 2016, Bisping knows a thing or two about defying expectations. Speaking from experience, he described Strickland as one of MMA’s biggest “overachievers,” and made it clear he meant it as a compliment. “Sean Strickland, that’s a complicated one,” Bisping said.
“Overachiever. I didn’t think he’d be in this position that he is in now. He became champion of the world.
I didn’t think he would beat Israel Adesanya. “I thought he would be a problematic matchup for ‘Fluffy’… beating him the way that he did and then now being in a position to fight Khamzat Chimaev — like I said, I think he’s an overachiever in a lot of ways. ” Read more: Carlos Ulberg and Jiri Prochazka among six fighters banned after UFC 327 Heavyweight challenge?