Sean Strickland publicly expressed admiration for Joshua Van following their respective fights at UFC 328. In a social media post, Strickland told Van that he watched his bout and told his coach that he wanted to fight the same way. Strickland called Van a tougher fighter than himself, acknowledging the high level of performance both displayed. The post highlights the mutual respect between the two middleweights after their successful outings on the card.
Sean Strickland took to social media the day after UFC 328 to publicly salute flyweight champion Joshua Van, calling the 24-year-old a tougher fighter than himself and telling Van he had watched his bout and told his coach he wanted to fight the same way.
Strickland, the 35-year-old middleweight champion from the United States, carries a 31-7-0 professional record and trains out of Xtreme Couture. Fighting out of an orthodox stance at six-foot-one with a 76-inch reach, he is one of the most active strikers in his division, landing 6.04 significant strikes per minute. His post-fight gesture reflects the kind of candid, unfiltered personality that has followed him throughout his career.
Van, nicknamed "The Fearless," is the reigning flyweight champion representing Myanmar with a 17-2-0 record. At just 24 years old, the orthodox striker trains with 4oz. Fight Club and stands five-foot-five with a 65-inch reach. His numbers suggest a genuinely dangerous output — 8.84 significant strikes landed per minute at a 56 percent accuracy rate — marking him as one of the most precise and prolific strikers on the roster at any weight class.
Why it matters
- Strickland's public admiration draws cross-divisional attention to Van, who is still early in his championship run at 24 years old.
- The comment about wanting to "fight the same way" adds an unusual layer of peer respect between champions from separate weight classes.
- Both fighters leaving UFC 328 with strong performances reinforces the depth of the current middleweight and flyweight title pictures.
Saturday, May 9, 2026
