Sean Strickland says he separated shoulder during UFC 328 fight week
Sean Strickland revealed he faced plenty of adversity before even stepping in the cage at Saturday's UFC 328.
NEWARK, N. J. – Sean Strickland didn't only battle the odds in his return to the cage, but apparently also his health.
Strickland (29-7 MMA, 18-7 UFC) reclaimed the middleweight title by handing Khamzat Chimaev his first pro loss in the UFC 328 main event Saturday at Prudential Center. Strickland defeated Chimaev (15-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC) in a close split decision win , and he did so as a +400 underdog at most sportsbooks. On top of having the odds stacked against him, Strickland was also dealing with a significant injury, which he revealed at the post-fight press conference.
"You guys want to hear something funny? " Strickland told reporters. "So on Tuesday, I'm sparring Johnny (Eblen), that motherf*cker, the PFL champ.
And I'm at Plino's gym, Cruz's gym, and he f*cking shoots on me, and I hit his brick-ass wall, and I separated my shoulder. So I had a Grade 1 AC joint separation on Tuesday. " It's not common for fighters to still be sparring in the week of their fight precisely to avoid injury close to the fight.