Strickland Called Out for ‘Unreal’ Sparring with Celebrities

Sean Strickland has been told by one of MMA’s most divisive figures that he’s ‘not a real martial artist’ for his hard sparring with beginner celebrities.

Strickland is a former middleweight world champion with wins over fighters like Israel Adesanya and Paulo Costa. But even with a dangerous skillset, he doesn’t hesitate to use all his tools to go hard on celebrities when they come to the Xtreme Couture gym to film videos or streams.

Strickland famously battered and bloodied streamer Sneako at the gym, ignoring multiple towel throws in an effort to put the creator down. And he did the exact same to youtuber Nick Nayersina a year later, beating him perhaps even more brutally after months of callouts.

Strickland Seems to Enjoy Sparring with Beginners

Sean Strickland, despite being a trained UFC championship-level fighter, doesn’t have a problem using his skills to show beginners just how big the gap is between civilians and fighters. He’s become known for going hard on celebrities like Sneako and Nick Nayersina.

In February of 2024, while Sneako was training at Xtreme Couture, Strickland initiated a sparring session that quickly turned one-sided.Strickland continued to land strikes even after sneako signaled he was finished, resulting in a bloodied face for the streamer. He didn’t show any mercy.

Later, in April of 2025, Strickland faced off against YouTuber Nick Nayersina, who had been calling him out for a fight. Strickland again dominated the sparring session,landing numerous strikes and leaving Nayersina visibly hurt. Many criticized Strickland for the disparity in skill and experience, arguing that it wasn’t a fair or productive sparring session.

Now, a prominent figure in the MMA world has weighed in, questioning Strickland’s approach. They stated that consistently dominating complete beginners isn’t indicative of a true martial artist, suggesting it lacks the respect and sportsmanship inherent in the discipline. The criticism highlights the debate around the ethics of sparring with individuals who lack proper training and experience.