Sean Strickland publicly expressed respect for Joshua Van following Van's victory at UFC 328. Strickland told Van he watched his fight and told his coach that's how he wanted to fight. He acknowledged Van as being tougher than himself. The post notes both fighters performed at a high level on the night. This marks a rare moment of public admiration from the typically brash Strickland.
Sean Strickland offered a rare public salute to flyweight champion Joshua Van on Saturday, the day after UFC 328, expressing genuine admiration for Van's performance on the card.
Strickland, the reigning middleweight champion, made clear he was watching closely. He told Van he had seen the fight and relayed to his own coach that he wanted to fight in exactly that fashion — a striking compliment from a man not known for handing them out freely. He went further, acknowledging Van as tougher than himself, a candid admission that stood out given Strickland's typically combative public persona.
Strickland carries a 31-7-0 record and holds the middleweight title at 35 years old. The American trains out of Xtreme Couture and brings a high-volume striking game to every outing, averaging 6.04 significant strikes per minute across his career. His six-foot-one frame and 76-inch reach have made him a persistent pressure fighter at 185 pounds.
Van, nicknamed "The Fearless," is 24 years old and has quickly established himself as one of the sport's most exciting champions. The Myanmar-born flyweight holds a 17-2-0 record and is the reigning champion of his division. Training out of 4oz. Fight Club, he lands an impressive 8.84 significant strikes per minute at a 56 percent accuracy rate — numbers that place him among the sharpest offensive fighters in the UFC regardless of weight class.
Why it matters
- Cross-divisional respect from a reigning champion draws broader attention to Van's growing profile
- Van's striking output and accuracy at flyweight are elite by any UFC benchmark, and Strickland's endorsement underlines that
- The moment is notable for Strickland specifically, whose public praise for opponents is genuinely uncommon
Saturday, May 9, 2026
