Dustin Poirier and Jorge Masvidal have spoken publicly about Sean Strickland's wrestling abilities, confirming they have heard from credible sources and witnessed firsthand that his grappling is at a high level. Poirier stated that good wrestlers who train with Strickland have told him that Strickland is genuinely strong and excels at getting back to his feet, making him very difficult to hold down on the mat. Masvidal noted that while Chimaev represents a completely different level from Strickland's previous opponents, Strickland has performed well against those closer to Chimaev's caliber. He emphasized that holding Strickland down is extremely difficult, citing his own observations of Strickland training with and grappling against heavyweights. Both veterans agree Strickland's defensive wrestling is underrated and formidable.
