Former UFC champion Sean Strickland opens up about his mental health struggles

Former UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland says he has everything he wants in life but still struggles with mental health issues and thoughts of hurting others.

Although Strickland (28-6 MMA, 15-6 UFC) has openly admitted to having unresolved childhood trauma, he doesn't believe therapy can help improve his mental state. Not yet.

“I think the problem with treatment is just convincing me that I like to start killing everybody,” Strickland said in a recent pregame press conference.

Although Strickland is well aware of her psychological trauma and the impact it has on her daily life, she remains hesitant to seek help. As a result, he often takes a dark path with a microphone in his hand, especially during his UFC fight week media duties.

Before UFC 297, Strickland went on an uncontrollable anti-LGBTQ rant after being asked by a reporter about an earlier statement in which he said having a gay son disqualified him as a father. She was wearing a T-shirt that read, “There's a woman in every kitchen, a gun in every hand.” Other major sports wouldn't do that, but the UFC provides a unique space where fighters can say what they want without repercussions, good or bad.

Fighting is a valuable tool that helps Strickland exorcise his demons. He does a lot of sparring in the gym, more than most other fighters. Usually, he puts his energy out against other professional fighters, but there was a time recently when he tried too hard to stream influencer Suneco.

“Sometimes I win, sometimes I lose,” he wrote about his battle with his demons in the caption of a video posted to Instagram on Monday. In that video, Strickland revealed how dark his thoughts can sometimes be. Despite reaching the top of the division as UFC champion and all the money he's earned from headlining multiple events throughout his career, Strickland still struggles with his mental struggles on a daily basis. I admit that.

“I've been a mess all week, man,” Strickland began. “I've been saying crazy things on Twitter, fucking spiraling. I woke up and said to my daughter, 'Baby, I feel like I'm a danger to people.' Like I should be out in the outside world. I feel that it is not. ” And I think I have it all. I'm rich, I'm famous, I have everything I ever wanted, and yet I'm still mentally ill. You get into a mindset where you want to burn down the entire world. Like, I don't want to have anything, so I just lose it and just dump everything on people.

“In a weird way, I think you guys are like my family. Like I've shared shit with you guys and you guys have shared shit with me. We've been through a lot together. I feel more connected to my fans than most people feel, just because I've been there. I have everything I want, but I still struggle with my mental health. My memory. is so short that, like when I go into this week, I think to myself, “Oh, yeah.” It was a really difficult time in my life. ” But if you think about it, this kind of thing happens many times a month, every month. ”

Strickland continued:

“Again, I don't know why I'm telling you all this. I'm going through something a little rough. I'm fine. It's okay. I'm going to go train right now and try to hurt all my friends,” he said. Then all the demons will disappear. I want you all to know that even though I have everything I want in this world, I still struggle. So what are you going through? I hope you feel better, even if you are. Go to the gym and train. I wish you all the best.”